The skyrocketing prices of tomato have made the culinary staple so valuable that it has lured thieves into stealing them. In one such incident, thieves made away with tomatoes worth Rs 2.7 lakh right from a farm in Belur in this district.

This is not the only theft of tomatoes that has been reported. In a theft of a smaller scale, 20 kg of tomatoes was allegedly stolen from a shop in Mahabubabad district in Telangana, police said on Thursday.

Tomatoes are presently sold at Rs 150 a kg in Bengaluru.

According to the tomato farmer in Belur, who was in tears, the thieves decamped with the tomatoes on Tuesday night.

Parvathamma said her family had been guarding their tomato farm cautiously. “We had sown tomatoes in two acres but we got nothing. Tomatoes used to grow but they never ripened. This time they grew but day-before-yesterday, someone stole them,” Parvathamma told PTI with tears in her eyes.

“We toiled so much on the farm but we got nothing. My husband can’t speak. We only work here from morning 7 till 9 in the night. We poured all our labour and money but everything was looted,” the farmer said.

Giving details of the incident, Hassan Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said on Wednesday a tomato cultivator Dharani lodged a complaint with the Halebid police.

On the previous night, she had watered the crop and gone home. When she returned on Wednesday morning, she realised that someone had illegally entered her farm and stolen all the tomatoes.

“According to the farmer, tomatoes that would fit in 90 boxes, which would cost around Rs 2.7 lakh, have been stolen from her farm. We have registered a case and are investigating the matter,” Shankar told PTI.

In the theft in Telangana, the incident took place in Dornakal mandal on Wednesday night, police said.

The vegetable vendor said tomato weighing 20 kgs and four other vegetables weighing about 35 kg kept in two boxes in his shop were taken away by unidentified persons.