Evidence mishandling a ‘regular’ affair in Kanpur

Police will no longer store recovered valuables in malkhana, but deposit them with the district treasury.

The recently discovered theft of cash and gold jewellery worth ₹41.30 lakh from the ‘malkhana’ or evidence storage room of Govind Nagar police station has exposed serious lapses in the handling of critical evidence in Kanpur. This incident is part of a troubling pattern of instances of evidence mismanagement that has, in some cases, even led to the acquittal of individuals accused in serious crimes, including rape and murder.

This incident at Govind Nagar police station is part of a troubling pattern of instances of evidence mismanagement that has, in some cases, even led to the acquittal of individuals accused in serious crimes, including rape and murder. (For representation)

Sample this! In a high-profile case from 2021, a four-year-old girl was raped and murdered in an area under Bithoor police. The crucial piece of evidence—a pillow stained with the victim’s blood—in the case was kept in the station’s malkhana. However, when a court requested that the evidence be produced before it, the pillow was found to be missing and, instead ‘replaced’ by footwear. As a result, judicial officer Vijay Singh Sisodia acquitted the accused due to the absence of key evidence.

In another case, a man from Jharkhand was arrested by the Rail Bazar police on charges of espionage and sedition for allegedly supplying sensitive information to an enemy country. Incriminating documents seized from his home were stored in the makhana, only to later vanish without explanation. Despite the missing evidence, the court convicted the man and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

Over the past seven years, gold jewellery have gone missing from malkhana of several police stations, including Naubasta, Kakadeo, Fazalgunj, Barra, Kohna, Rail Bazar, and Bithoor.

In many cases, officials found that gold jewellery—often recorded as “yellow metal”—had been replaced with brass jewellery of the same weight due to the lack of proper testing procedures.

Harish Chandra, the additional commissioner of police (Law and Order), acknowledged the systemic issues, stating, “The system for storing evidence in the malkhana is the best. If any property goes missing, there is a rule to recover its value from the salary or provident fund of the malkhana in-charge.” However, he admitted, “There is a rule to test recovered items, but it is not always followed. Strict instructions have now been issued to ensure 100% compliance.”

In response to the theft at Govind Nagar, the Kanpur police have announced that cash and valuable items will no longer be stored in malkhana, but deposit them with the district treasury, where they will be secured in double-lock vaults. Additionally, malkhana in-charges will now be required to verify evidence related to cases and submit a certificate of confirmation to ensure accountability.