Police in Bihar, India where alcohol was banned last April, have accused rats of decimating the majority of the stash of booze confiscated over the past year – over 40,000 cases, or about 900,000 liters.

According to the Hindu newspaper, senior superintendent of police of state capital Patna, Manu Maharaj, was informed of the disappearance of contraband from storage in a meeting this week, and was initially skeptical about how rats could have gained access to sealed glass bottles. His subordinates told him that the rodents chewed through the bottle caps, before downing the drink.

Maharaj immediately instructed police stations across the state – some of which had been forced to rent additional space to accommodate the confiscated stock – to rid police stations of rats, and sprinkle contraband with rat poison, the Hindu reported.

However, not taking his subordinates’ story hook, line and sinker, the senior superintendent also ordered regular breathalyzer tests for officers.

“If they fail the test they could even lose their jobs, apart from being prosecuted under the new stringent excise and prohibition laws,” Maharaj said.