Indian police have blamed the rats for consuming 1,000 litres of seized liquor kept in their warehouse in the Indian state of Bihar according to a report by The Hindustan Times. India has been notoriously famous for such stories where insane excuses have been also given.
Authorities have previously pointed the finger at the rodent for polishing off seized liquor in dry Bihar, narcotics in Jharkhand and currency notes in Assam. They were also held guilty of causing floods in Bihar.
The latest incident was brought to light when the store was opened to bring out the body of a stray dog which had sneaked into it a few days ago and died inside.
Police say an inquiry into the incident would be carried out to determine whether the liquor was consumed by rats or something else had happened to it.
“Cantt police station head muharrir [clerk], Naresh Pal, who was posted recently, opened the door of the malkhana and found some liquor cans empty. He also saw rats near the seized liquor cans,” he said.
He said that seized liquor should be destroyed after a sample is kept for legal purpose. “I have written to senior officials several times regarding this, but no response has come yet,” he added.
Meanwhile, a retired zoology professor of Bareilly College, who did not want to be named, said that rats could consume liquor alternatively if they stayed at a place where water was not available.
“But the quantity of liquor which the police claimed that rats had consumed is unbelievable. They cannot drink 1,000 litres of alcohol as rats have a strong dislike to a high concentration of liquor,” he said, adding it might be a simple case of theft.
The article originally appeared in The Hindustan Times
