‘Rats Ate Bribe Cash’: SC Surprised After Bihar Police Claim Rodents Destroyed ₹10,000 Key Evidence

The Supreme Court was left surprised after Bihar Police claimed that rats destroyed Rs 10,000 bribe money which was kept as evidence in a corruption case. The case is linked to a former government official accused of taking a bribe in 2019.  The court investigated how important evidence could be destroyed inside a police malkhana because it represented a significant state loss. The prosecution’s unexpected explanation has created a discussion about the evidence storage conditions that exist in Bihar. 

SC Surprised After Bihar Police Claim Rats Ate Bribe Cash 

A Supreme Court bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan suspended the four-year jail sentence of former Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO) Aruna Kumari and granted her bail. The court took note of the fact that the main evidence in the case has been destroyed. 

“We are taken by surprise that the currency notes got destroyed by rodents,” the bench said while granting bail.

The Court further flagged the destruction of seized currency as being a significant revenue loss for the State of Bihar.

“We wonder how many such currency notes recovered in this type of offences get destroyed as they are not kept at a safe place. It’s a huge revenue loss for the State,” it noted.

How Did Rats Allegedly Destroy ₹10,000 Bribe Money Kept As Key Evidence In Bihar Corruption Case?

The prosecution told the court that the malkhana register confirmed the envelope containing the bribe money was received, but the actual cash could not be present in the court because rats had damaged the envelope and destroyed the currency notes in the evidence room. 

The trial court had first cleared Aruna Kumar of all charges, after which the Bihar govenrment challenged the decision in the Patna High Court. 

“In Malkhana register, receipt of an envelop containing bribe money in connection with the instant case was duly recorded. Thus, there is no doubt that seized money was produced in Malkhana register but as a result of improper condition of Malkhana and lack of up to date preservation system, the envelop along with currency notes were destroyed by rodents.” the high court noted.

What Was the Case of Which Rat Eat Bribe Money? 

The case started in 2019 when the Economic Offences Unit of Bihar executed a trap operation against Aruna Kumari who worked as a Child Development Programme Officer. She was accused of asking for and accepting a bribe of ₹10,000.

The officials reported that they found the cash money which they had seized from her house after the raid. The cash had been enclosed inside an envelope which authorities stored as vital evidence at the local malkhana for the court case. 

The prosecution encountered an unusual challenge during the trial under the Prevention of Corruption Act because the bribe money had disappeared. 

In February 2025, the High Court overturned the acquittal and found Kumari guilty saying the destruction of the cash by rodents did not weaken the prosecution’s case.

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