A second tomato grower was killed in Annamaya district of Andhra Pradesh in the last seven days, police said.
Madhukar Reddy, a farmer was strangled to death by miscreants while he was sleeping at his farm to guard the crops near Pedda Tippa Samudra in Annamaya district at midnight on July 16. The family members have been in deep shock since the incident was revealed. Deputy Superintendent of Police Kesappa arrived at the scene and started investigating the case.
DSP Kesappa said, “We have reached the spot after getting the information and need to probe the incident and further details are awaited.”
Earlier, a 62-year-old tomato farmer was found murdered in Bodumalladinne village of Madanapalle Mandal, Annamayya district. The deceased was identified as Narem Rajasekhar Reddy.
The farmer, who was staying in an agriculture field away from the village, was on his way to the village to deliver the milk when he was killed.
Narem Rajasekhar Reddy’s wife told police that some unidentified men had come to the farm on the pretext of buying tomatoes. Upon learning that Narem Rajasekhar Reddy had gone to the village to sell milk, they left. According to the family, Narem Rajasekhar Reddy had recently earned Rs 30 lakh by selling tomatoes in an agriculture market. This substantial financial gain is suspected to be a possible motive for the murder, said the police.
Narem Rajasekhar Reddy’s body was found with his hands and legs tied with silk thread and strangled to death with a towel. Police said they were investigating the case from all angles. DSP Keshappa said four teams were constituted to solve the case. Police deployed a sniffer dog as part of the investigation. The dog went up to the house of the victim from the scene of the crime.
Police suspect that 3-4 persons may have committed the murder. Superintendent of Police Gangadhar Rao also visited the spot and spoke to the victim’s family members. The deceased is survived by his wife and two married daughters.
On July 11 night, in Karnataka, tomatoes worth Rs 2.5 lakh were allegedly stolen from a farm of a woman. The thieves allegedly decamped with 50-60 bags of tomatoes from the farm located in Goni Somanahalli village of Hassan district.
Based on the woman farmer, Dharini’s complaint, a case of theft was filed at Halebeedu police station. Dharani said that the theft happened as they were planning to cut the crop and transport it to the Bengaluru market as the tomato price reached above Rs 120 per Kilogram. Dharani said that the thieves stole the 50-60 bags of tomatoes and destroyed the remaining standing crop.
On July 8, a vehicle carrying a substantial load of tomatoes, weighing approximately 2,000 kg, was targeted and robbed by unidentified miscreants in Bengaluru. The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the RMC Yard police station near Chikkajala.
According to the police, the farmer was transporting his tomato produce from Hiriyur town in Chitradurga to the Kolar market when the criminals followed the tomato-laden vehicle in their car. Subsequently, they intercepted the vehicle, assaulting both the farmer and the driver under the false pretence that their own vehicle had been struck.
The miscreants not only demanded money from the victims but also coerced them into transferring the funds online. After obtaining the money, the criminals seized the tomatoes and made their escape, leaving the farmer and driver stranded on the road.
The news of this tomato robbery comes at a time when tomato prices in the region have skyrocketed. With prices ranging from Rs 120 to Rs 150 per kilogram in Karnataka, consumers are grappling with the exorbitant cost of this essential ingredient.
