Policemen deployed to prevent looting of tomato load from overturned truck in Adilabad

The truck was carrying 18 tonnes of tomatoes in 638 crates, estimated to cost around Rs 22 lakh

Adilabad: In an unusual incident, police had to provide security to a tomato-laden truck to prevent the vegetable being stolen by locals when the vehicle got overturned on Hyderabad-Nagpur national highway 44 near Mavala mandal centre on Saturday.

Mavala Sub-Inspector Vishnuvardhan said four policemen from Mavala police station and staffers of a patrolling team of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) were deployed at the spot of the incident to prevent people from taking away tomatoes. The crates containing tomatoes were emptied from the lorry till evening, he stated. The vehcile started at Kolar of Karnataka was heading to New Delhi at the time of the mishap.

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The truck crew said that the vehicle was carrying 18 tonnes of tomatoes in 638 crates, estimated to cost around Rs 22 lakh. The tomatoes were being shipped to Delhi where it is being sold at Rs 150 per kilogram. Considering the soaring prices Delhi traders were importing the tomatoes from south India.

Meanwhile, the tomatoes were being sold for somewhere between Rs 100 and Rs 150 per a kg in several parts of erstwhile Adilabad district. The price of the vegetable continued to increase since the second week of June, worrying the public. People said they were using fewer tomatoes in curries than the past due to drastic hike in rates.