Tomatoes weighing 400 kg harvested and stacked in a truck were stolen from a farmer in Pune on Sunday night, officials said.
The farmer, Arun Balu Dhome, who owns a two-acre farm in Pimparkhed village, registered a complaint against unknown persons in the Shirur police station on Monday, July 17.
According to the complaint, Dhome said there were 20 crates of tomatoes in the vehicle. Crates valued at Rs 20,000 were stolen on the intervening night of July 16 and 17.
“Before sleeping at 11 pm, I checked on the crates and they were there. The next morning when I woke up at 6 am, I couldn’t see the crates in the vehicle. The entire family searched for the tomatoes in the nearby area but couldn’t locate them,” the complaint stated.
According to Dhome, his family was working in the field and harvesting tomatoes from 2 pm to 6 pm on July 16.
“By evening, the crates were filled and brought home for taking to the market early morning the next day,” he said.
Rising tomato prices have upset household budgets and burnt a hole in the pockets of Indian middle-class families. As of July 20, retail tomato prices stand at Rs 140 per kg in Delhi, Rs 137 per kg in Mumbai, Rs 140 per kg in Bengaluru and Rs 140 per kg in Pune.