A Ranchi court acquitted the key accused in a major narcotics case after police claimed nearly 200 kg of seized ganja worth Rs1 crore was destroyed by rats. The judge said this raised serious doubts about police handling overall.
Jharkhand : A Ranchi court has acquitted the main accused in a major narcotics case, exposing severe procedural lapses, after police informed the court that nearly 200 kg of confiscated marijuana worth about Rs 1 crore had been destroyed by rats while in police custody.
In 2022, Jharkhand Police intercepted a vehicle and reportedly seized a large quantity of narcotics. But when the time came to present the seized material in court during the 2024 trial, police stated that the contraband stored in the malkhana had allegedly been eaten by rats.
Despite this, the only accused in the case was acquitted by a special NDPS court in Ranchi, which pointed out serious shortcomings in the investigation, including the investigating officer’s assertion that 200 kg of ganja had been destroyed by rodents.
As per the prosecution, the Ormanjhi Police in Ranchi district stopped a white Bolero on NH-20 on January 17, 2022, after receiving information that narcotics were being transported from Ranchi to Ramgarh.
Police claimed that when the vehicle was halted, three men attempted to escape. While Indrajeet Rai was apprehended, the other two Vikas Chaurasia and Kundan Rai managed to flee. A search of the vehicle allegedly led to the recovery of 200 kg of ganja packed in about 170 packets hidden in specially designed compartments.
An FIR was registered under Sections 20(b)(ii)(c) and 22(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, following which Rai was arrested in January 2022 and remained in custody throughout the trial.
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In its December 19, 2025 order, Additional Judicial Commissioner-III-cum-Special Judge Anand Prakash acquitted Indrajeet Rai, ruling that the prosecution could not establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The court also expressed concerns about the manner in which the narcotic substance was seized and handled.
The Station diary note disclosed that the seized ganja had been destroyed by rats.
The court remarked,
“This casts a suspicion on the very seizure of the case and its handling by the police.”
While reviewing the testimonies of all seven prosecution witnesses, who were police personnel, the court identified several inconsistencies regarding crucial details such as the timing of the vehicle interception, the precise location of the alleged recovery, who actually caught the accused, and the direction in which the other suspects fled.
The court stated,
“There are several contradictions in their statements… which casts a doubt whether the alleged accused was caught at the place as stated by the prosecution or from somewhere else,”
It further highlighted that no independent public witness was examined, even though the alleged seizure occurred on a busy national highway surrounded by residential areas.
The court also noted that the prosecution could not prove any connection between the accused and the intercepted vehicle.
The judgment said,
“No other paper of the vehicle has been brought before the court which could show that the vehicle was in any way associated with the accused,”
During cross-examination, the Investigating Officer admitted that the supposedly seized vehicle did not have an engine or chassis number, and this was neither properly documented in the case diary nor communicated to transport authorities, further weakening the case.
Additionally, the court emphasized major deficiencies in evidence sampling, sealing, and preservation, as several witnesses failed to clearly explain when or how samples were collected and labeled.
The Court stated that,
“The prosecution has failed to correlate the accused with the vehicle seized and to prove beyond doubt that the accused was apprehended in the manner and at the place as alleged,”
Concluding that the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the court acquitted Rai of all charges and directed for his release unless required in any other case.
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