400 kg of tomatoes stolen from Pune farmer, case registered

Based on the complaint, a case of theft has been registered against unidentified persons, and a probe has been initiated, police said.

                                             Image used for representational purpose only.

PUNE (Maharashtra): A farmer’s 400 kg of tomatoes harvested and stacked in vehicle outside his house in Maharashtra’s Pune were reportedly stolen, the police said on Friday.

According to officials, Pune police received a complaint from the farmer, Arun Dhome, a resident of Pimparkhed in Shirur tehsil, who alleged that around 400 Kg of harvested tomatoes were stolen from outside his house.

“The farmer claimed that he had kept the tomatoes in 20 crates in a vehicle, parked outside his house on Sunday night,” the police said.

“When the farmer woke up the next morning, he saw that the crates were missing. He searched in the vicinity and realise that his produce were stolen. Later, he approached the police station and lodged a complaint,” an officer at Shirur police station said.

Based on the complaint, a case of theft has been registered against unidentified persons, and a probe has been initiated. “We are further looking into the case,” the officer added.

The theft comes to light at a time when tomato prices have already shot up in the markets across the country from Rs 10–20 per kg to a price of Rs 80–100 per kg. The reason behind this is the dip in supply due to heatwaves in tomato-growing areas and heavy rain.