Though there have been sporadic complaints of rat bites over the years, the staff at the JJ Hospital post-mortem centre have cited five cases in the last month alone. The Department of Forensic Medicine has since apprised the Hospital Division of the state government's Public Works Department.

Confirming this, Dr R G Bhusale, professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, JJ Hospital, says the complaints had been received a few days ago and the authorities concerned have been asked to get rid of the rodents. But, to their horror, thehospital staff have found that the brazen rats have been scaring away the mortuary attendents instead!

The JJ Hospital morgue has a capacity of about 45 bodies, about half of them undentified and unclaimed at any given time. These corpses usually remain in the mortuary for several days, before relatives are either located or the bodies disposed of. Sources reveal that it is these corpses that the rats have been nibbling. In fact, missing ear lobes, fingertips and noses were first discovered when the cadavers were brought out of the morgue for relatives to identify and claim. Moreover, since the cabinets in which the bodies are stored have no doors, all the hungry rodents have to do is crawl right in.

Workers at the post-mortem centre say the rats have been visiting the mortuary at will, probably through a hole in the wall and the ventillators, and every effort to keep them at bay has failed. Using every Pavlovian skill honed in this urban jungle, the rodents have been beating every trap and poisoned baitmeant for them. Confiding that they have been scared of the bandicoots, the sweepers say they have been petrified of being bitten themselves ever since some of the rats jumped straight at them during a chase.

Even pouring boiling water on the rodents did not work as they simply clambered up the drainpipe and hid till the staff called off the operation.