Kanpur, Feb. 26 -- The recently discovered theft of cash and gold jewellery worth Rs.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.

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 ...