In Karnataka, a woman’s farm is said to have had tomatoes worth ₹ 2.5 lakh
stolen from it. At night on Tuesday, 4 July 2023, the burglars allegedly fled the farm in Goni Somanahalli village in the Hassan district with 50 to 60 bags of tomatoes.
A complaint of theft was registered at the Halebeedu police station on the basis of the farmer Dharani’s accusation. As the tomato price rose above 120 per kilogram, Dharani claimed that they were preparing to pick the harvest and take it to the Bengaluru marketplace when the theft occurred.
According to Dharani, the robbers destroyed the remainder of the standing crop in addition to stealing 50 to 60 bags of tomatoes. She had taken loans for the tomatoes harvest and ended up suffering significant losses.
It is the first reported incidence of tomato theft at Halebeedu Police Station, according to a resident police officer. Also, Dharani’s son has requested for investigation as well as compensation from the state government.
Dharani and her family had grown the tomatoes on two acres of land prior to the alleged theft of the tomatoes.
Similar to various other states, Karnataka has recently witnessed a sharp rise in tomato prices. In Bengaluru, tomatoes cost between ₹ 101 and₹ 121 per kilogram. The abrupt rise in temperature in the months of March and April, which led to insect assaults on tomato crops, lower yields and increased market rates, has been blamed for the high pricing.