Thieves broke into farmer Bhimrao Eknath Khore’s storage unit on September 16 and stole 17 bags of onions worth ₹40,000. This is the second such incident in Shirur in the past 15 days as onions currently fetch ₹50-55 per kg, making the produce an increasingly valuable target.
According to the Shirur police, Khore constructed a 20-unit onion storage shed on his farm. While onions from 13 units had already been sold, produce from the remaining seven units was stored pending sale. The thieves broke into one of the units around midnight and stole 17 bags. The theft was noticed around 6 a.m. on Thursday, after which Khore submitted a complaint at the Mandavgan Phata police outpost.
The latest incident occurred about 15 days after approximately 30 bags of onions were stolen from the storage shed of farmer Bhausaheb Gosavi in Kalaskharwadi, in the Tandali area.
Vinod Patil, senior police inspector in charge of Shirur police station, said first information reports (FIRs) have been registered in both onion theft cases and police teams are investigating the incidents.
“We are examining the circumstances of the thefts, gathering information from the affected farmers and checking available leads to identify those involved. We are also looking into whether there is any connection between the two incidents. Necessary action will be taken once the suspects are identified,” Patil said.
{{/usCountry}}“We are examining the circumstances of the thefts, gathering information from the affected farmers and checking available leads to identify those involved. We are also looking into whether there is any connection between the two incidents. Necessary action will be taken once the suspects are identified,” Patil said.
{{/usCountry}}Farmers in the area said the incidents have created insecurity as they store large quantities of produce after months of hard work and investment.
“We have urged the police to increase night patrols and take preventive measures to curb thefts of agricultural produce in the area,” said Sakharam Nalawade, an onion farmer from the area.