Earlier this month, tomatoes worth Rs 2.7 lakh were stolen from Karnataka's Hassan district.
A truck carrying tomatoes worth Rs 21 lakh from Karnataka's Kolar to Rajasthan's Jaipur has gone missing amidst surging prices. Neither the driver nor the truck can be reached, the police said.
The truck carrying tomatoes was detected near Nashik in neighbouring Maharashtra, the cops later informed. A complaint has been registered at Kolar Nagar police station.
According to the police, the truck driver and his partner stole the vehicle and the tomatoes. The cops have initiated a probe into the matter to track down the truck.
The soaring prices of tomatoes have made them a hot commodity for thieves. In recent weeks, the price of tomatoes has risen to over Rs 150 per kg in some parts of the country. This has led to a shortage of tomatoes in the market, which has made them even more valuable.
Earlier this month, tomatoes worth Rs 2.7 lakh were stolen from Karnataka's Hassan district.
"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," the farmer said, as quoted by news agency PTI. "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 at night. We poured all our labour and money but everything was looted."
Erratic monsoon rains have disrupted the vegetable supply chain in India, leading to higher prices for a wide range of vegetables. Prices rose to a seven-month high in June, according to official data.