Truck With Tomatoes Worth Rs 21 Lakh Goes Missing, Police Suspect Driver, Cleaner

The tomatoes loaded on the truck are worth around Rs 21 lakh. The truck, owned by Mehat Transport of Kolar, departed on July 27 but has yet to reach its destination.

New Delhi: When people are seeing red over soaring tomato prices, a headline has captured everybody’s attention: a truck transporting tomatoes from Karnataka’s Kolar to Rajasthan’s Jaipur has gone missing without a trace so far.

The tomatoes loaded on the truck are worth around Rs 21 lakh. The truck, owned by Mehat Transport of Kolar, departed on July 27 but has yet to reach its destination.

Following the incident, the mandi owner in Kolar has registered a complaint in connection with the disappearance of the truck. The owner has not been able to contact the driver since the truck went missing, the police said.

Police suspected the driver and the cleaner of stealing both the vehicle and the tomatoes. Currently, the investigation is underway.

In another incident resembling this case, a group of unidentified individuals reportedly stole tomatoes worth Rs 1.5 lakh from a farm in Karnataka’s Hassan district in July. The aggrieved farmer lodged a complaint with the police, narrating that upon arriving at his farm, he was shocked to discover that his entire produce had vanished.

The farmer stated that the thieves had apparently entered the farm premises carrying approximately 50-60 bags, which they swiftly filled with tomatoes amounting to the value of 1.5 lakhs before making a hasty escape.

Meanwhile, Tomato prices continue to rise in Tamil Nadu as the wholesale price of the red fruit touched Rs 200 per kilogram in the state capital. While the wholesale market was selling tomatoes at Rs 200 per kilogram, in certain retail shops, tomatoes were sold at Rs 185 per kilogram. Traders also said that the price is likely to rise to Rs 250 per kg in a week’s time.

Other Cities See Tomato Price Hike

Delhi-NCR saw a major hike in tomato prices, which used to cost Rs 20-30 per kg, shot up to Rs 110-160 per kg. In response to the skyrocketing price of tomatoes, fast-food restaurant franchise Subway has taken tomatoes off its menu. To address the challenges posed by the escalating prices and disruptions in the tomato supply chain due to quality concerns, Subway outlets have taken the decision to temporarily suspend the use of tomatoes in their sandwiches and salads.

A notable example of this initiative was observed at a Subway store located in a Delhi airport terminal. The store prominently displayed a sign, politely informing the customers about the “Temporary Unavailability of TOMATOES”.

The sign further clarified that the current unavailability stems from the difficulty in sourcing sufficient tomatoes that adhere to their stringent quality control standards.

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