BENGALURU: Cops at the Gauribidanaur Rural police station in Chikkaballapur station limits, 74 kms from Bengaluru, are a relieved lot these days, thanks to the tomcat Beera.
Rats, which used to nibble away and cut precious records to bits of paper are now a thing of the past. What is more, it has been joined by another cat in the past one week, and the duo is turning out to be a terrific stressbuster for the police personnel in the police station.
Circle Inspector S D Shashidhara was worried over the presence of rodents in the Records Room which feasted on the numerous files here. "It was the writer Gangaraju who brought in a cat from his neighbour's house six months ago. I gave instructions to all to ensure the feline we named Beera was fed milk, rice and chicken pieces whenever available. In addition to it, Beera started hunting rats and feasting on them," he told The New Indian Express. The nuisance of rats is common in many rural police stations, the Inspector added.
Asked if it had destroyed crucial records, the cop ruled that out. "We destroy very old records of cases once in a while and they are kept in the Record room. We took care to preserve important files in spots that cannot be reached by them."
The tomcat is extremely friendly by nature and it helps diffuse the stress and tension present inside any police station, he said. "We keep stroking him, speaking with him and having fun with them. The women cops here are particularly attached to it and pamper it a lot," the Inspector added.
Meanwhile, a week ago, another feline just walked in and joined Beera. No one is quite sure if it is a male or female cat!