Amid the nationwide surge in tomato prices, unidentified persons allegedly stole around 20 kg of tomato, a box of green chillies and other vegetables weighing about 35 kg from a shop in Telangana's Mahabubabad district, police said on Thursday.
Read here: Tomatoes worth Rs. 2.5L stolen in Karnataka's Halebeedu, farmer files a police case
According to the police, the alleged theft took place in Dornakal mandal on Wednesday night . "After I closed the shop on Wednesday evening, the miscreants came late at night and stole three boxes of tomatoes, weighing approximately 20 kilograms, along with boxes of green chillies from the shop. They have stolen all costly vegetable," shop vendor Lakpathi told India Today.
Based on a complaint, a theft case was registered under Section 379 of the IPC and a probe was launched to trace the accused, the police official told PTI.
Residents speculate that the exorbitant tomato prices may have driven the thieves to commit the act.
{{/usCountry}}Residents speculate that the exorbitant tomato prices may have driven the thieves to commit the act.
{{/usCountry}}The theft case comes days after similar incidents were reported in Karnataka. Earlier on Wednesday, a woman farmer alleged that almost 60 kg of tomatoes worth ₹2.5 lakh, which were in the bags at the farm were stolen by unknown people in Karnataka’s Halebeedu, while, another farmer lost ₹1.5 lakh worth tomatoes in a theft in Karnataka's Hassan district .
Read here: Tomatoes worth ₹1.5 lakh stolen in Karnataka’s Hassan district
The theft of the vegetable comes at a time when tomato prices are soaring across India. In some parts of the country, tomatoes are selling for as much as ₹100-120 per kilogram. Besides tomatoes, the prices of other vegetables are also on the rise in many states. This is due to a number of factors, including a decline in production due to unseasonal rains and a rise in demand.