Five persons were arrested in the raid in 1989 and the case is still in court. A senior police official said the theft could have occurred in transit when the sacks of charas which is case property were brought to court every time the case came up for hearing.

The disparity came to light on October 14, when the total quantity of charas in the malkhana was weighed before the area SDM. Sources say the local police did not inform their seniors about the matter. In fact, the latter were enlightened after a city court issued a direction to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) to register a case in this regard.

Records at the police station revealed that 1,100 kg of charas was seized from various parts of east Delhiduring a raid in 1989 and deposited in the malkhana. The Crime Branch had arrested five persons from the Trilokpuri area under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. While four of them are now out on bail, the fifth is still lodged in Tihar Jail.

A senior official says: ``The charas was packed in sacks. No one probably checked the weight of the total consignment each time it was taken out. It seems that no one even bothered to count the number of sacks.''

He adds: ``It is obvious that so much of charas couldn't have gone missing overnight. Someone must have been at it for the past 10 years.'' After the area SDM on October 14 found only 600 kg of the seized 1,100 kg, he submitted a report to the court dealing with the case. The Trilokpuri police were also asked to inform their seniors.