Rats in Bihar are in high spirits — or so the Indian state of Bihar Police insist.

Rodents are believed to have finished off more than 9 lakh litres of alcohol which the police had seized from people flouting prohibition laws in the state. The issue came up after the media reported that the seized bottles of liquor were missing from police station stores, reports the Press Trust of India.

At a recent meeting of the state police, it was said that some of the seized bottles had been destroyed, and what was left was finished off in the stores by liquor-loving rats.

Two office-bearers of the Bihar Police Men’s Association (BPMA) have been arrested for violating the ban on liquor in the state, police said on Thursday, reports IANS.

Police arrested BPMA President Nirmal Singh and its Secretary Shamsher Khan from the former’s house in the New Police Lines here following Patna Senior Superintendent of Pollice Manu Maharaj’s orders.

‘The SSP reached the spot after getting to know that the two were creating ruckus and publicly consuming liquor, and found both of them heavily drunk,’ a district police official said.

Singh and Khan were sent to jail by a local court.

According to police officials, Nirmal Singh resisted arrest and alleged that Maharaj had acted against him for raising voice on behalf of the association members.

Bihar Police Association President Mitunjay Singh welcomed the police action.

Over 45,000 persons have been arrested for violating liquor ban imposed by the Nitish Kumar government on April 5 last year.

Excise and Prohibition Minister Abdul Jalil Mastan said that state agencies have been directed to act tough against the violators.

The state police had raided 2,18,722 locations and seized liquor valued at Rs 50 crore in the last one year, an Excise and Prohibition Department official said.

According to a police report, 40,413 cases have been registered for violations of the liquor ban.