In the Andhra Pradesh district of Chittoor, a group of five men ambushed and robbed a farmer of Rs 4.5 lakh in cash as he was transporting tomatoes to the market. The Nakkabanda neighborhood in Punganuru is where the incident was first reported.
The perpetrators attacked Loka Raj, a farmer, with beer bottles while he was carrying tomatoes to the Palamenaru market. They then took the cash he was holding, totaling Rs. 4.5 lakh, from him. According to sources, the attackers were using narcotics at the time of the attack.
Locals transported the hurt farmer to Punganur Government Hospital. He is receiving treatment there at the moment.
In the interim, the event has been reported to the Punganur police, who have opened an inquiry.
Tomatoes are now a highly sought-after product on the markets thanks to India's skyrocketing costs. According to wholesale sellers, tomato prices are already over Rs 200 per kilogram and are anticipated to reach Rs 300 per kilogram soon.
Tomatoes worth Rs 2.5 lakh were taken from a farm in Goni Somanahalli village, Belur taluk, Hassan district, Karnataka, earlier this month. In a similar occurrence, a couple from the adjoining state of Tamil Nadu was apprehended by Bengaluru police after they commandeered a truck carrying 2.5 tonnes of tomatoes and staged an accident to demand money.
