The municipal administration of the Indian city of Bihar has hired a new force to collect overdue taxes from shop owners. The new force is not armed with any weapons, rather the team of 20 eunuchs will collect the municipal taxes while dancing and singing on the beat of a drum.

Eunuchs, who are generally males with partial genitals, form a pretty distinctive society in India. They often make a living on tips for dancing at weddings and blessing newborn babies, and are believed to be stubborn and don't take no for an answer.

Patna's Municipal Corporation hired the team on Wednesday after the city's tax arrears ran into the millions, Atul Prasad, the municipal administrator, told the AP.

Citing the success of the team at the first day of the job, officials feel confident that the recruits will be able to improve the city's slipping tax revenue.

The eunuchs are not given a salary and instead receive four percent of the amount they collect from defaulters, Prasad said.

Only 2,000 of Patna's nearly half million residents regularly pay property taxes and water charges, he said.