With alcohol getting banned in Bihar, it's the rodents that are reportedly making merry with the confiscated liquor in the state's police stations, according to the state police. The bizarre claim has put several police stations in the state under scrutiny.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said the policemen in the state will now be subjected to random breath-analyser test to check whether it's the rats looting the alcohol from the police station store rooms or the men in uniform have been stealing a swig, according to PTI reports.
Maharaj said the police would now approach the courts to seek permission for destroying the alcohol bottles kept in police store rooms at small intervals. The senior superintendent also said that regular audit of the "malkhana" (store room in police station) is also under consideration to check any misuse of the alcohol stocked in the police stations.
The state police headquarters has ordered an investigation into the incident, where several police stations have claimed that the alcohol was guzzled by rats in the store rooms.
"We have asked Patna zonal IG to inquire into the matter. Based on his findings, the state police headquarters would initiate further action," Additional Director-General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal said.
The news came to light following media reports which stated that rodents have overrun the ''Malkhana'' of the police stations and have drank more than 9 lakh litres of alcohol confiscated by the police.
Reports also said that in the last 13 months, around 9.15 lakh litres of alcohol, including domestic and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), has been confiscated by the Bihar Police following the liquor ban in the state.
A recent crime meeting of Bihar police revealed that while a huge amount of the seized liquor was destroyed on the way to the police station, almost an equal amount was consumed by rats in the police stations' store rooms.
Meanwhile, two office-bearers of Bihar Police Men's Association (BPMA), including its president Nirmal Singh, were arrested late on Wednesday (May 3) night for allegedly consuming liquor and creating nuisance.
Singh and another BPMA office-bearer Shamsher Khan were produced before the special excise court of ADJ Ravindra Nath Tripathi on Thursday (May 5), who remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.
