Truckload of tomatoes worth Rs21 lakh bound for Jaipur from Karnataka goes 'missing'

A Jaipur-bound truckload of tomatoes, a precious commodity across the country now, went missing in what is suspected to be another "heist" linked to Karnataka.

A trader has claimed that he lost touch with the driver and cleaner of his truck, which was carrying 11 tonnes of tomatoes from the district headquarters town of Kolar, en route to the Rajasthan capital. A complaint has been filed with Kolar police, in which the trader has alleged that the truck was carrying tomatoes worth Rs 21 lakh.

Representatives at Kolar Agricultural Produce Market Committee, from where the produce left, pegged the price of tomatoes at Rs 160 per kg.

According to the complaint, the truck loaded with 750 crates left the local 'mandi' in Kolar on July 27 and the consignment was scheduled to reach its destination in Jaipur for supply to a local vegetable market there.

The truck, which was being tracked through the GPS tracking system, had apparently covered around 1,800 km since it left Kolar. The vehicle was supposed to reach its destination in Jaipur by Saturday night. But when it did not do so, the trader tried to contact the driver but his phone was switched off, a senior police officer said.

The concerned trader then filed a complaint at Kolar police station stating that the truck had gone missing.