Tomato thieves on prowl, loot produce worth Rs 2.7 lakh from Karnataka farm

The skyrocketing price of tomatoes has made the culinary staple so valuable that it has lured thieves into stealing them. In one such incident, thieves made away with tomatoes worth Rs 2.7 lakh right from a farm in Belur in Karnatka.

This is not the only theft of tomatoes that has been reported. In a theft of a smaller scale, 20 kg of tomatoes was allegedly stolen from a shop in Mahabubabad district in Telangana, police said on Thursday.

Tomatoes are presently sold at Rs 150 a kg in Bengaluru.

Also Read: Why tomato crops in Kolar dwindled and prices hit the roof

According to the tomato farmer in Belur, who was in tears, the thieves decamped with the tomatoes on Tuesday night (July 4). Parvathamma said her family had been guarding their tomato farm cautiously.

“We had sown tomatoes in two acres but we got nothing. Tomatoes used to grow but they never ripened. This time they grew but day-before-yesterday, someone stole them,” Parvathamma said.

“We toiled so much on the farm but we got nothing. My husband can’t speak. We only work here from morning 7 till 9 in the night. We poured all our labour and money but everything was looted,” the farmer said.

Hassan Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said the tomato cultivator lodged a complaint with the Halebid police.

Previous night, she had watered the crop and gone home. When she returned on Wednesday morning, she realised someone had illegally entered her farm and stolen all the tomatoes.

According to the farmer, tomatoes that would fit in 90 boxes, which would cost around Rs 2.7 lakh, have been stolen from her farm.

Also read: Tomato prices will cool down in next 15 days, normalise in a month: Govt

In the theft in Telangana, the incident took place in Dornakal mandal on Wednesday night, police said.

The vegetable vendor said tomato weighing 20 kgs and four other vegetables weighing about 35 kg kept in two boxes in his shop were taken away by unidentified persons.