Robbers eye pricey onion, 700 kg stolen in Mumbai

The stock was stolen from a wholesaler trader’s shop in the Sion region of the city. The complainant has claimed that unidentified men broke into his road-side vegetable stall, near Pratiksha Nagar and made away with 700 kilos of the “precious” vegetable, now having a market value of over Rs 25,000.

Fourteen sacks of onion were stolen from a shop of 55-year-old vegetable vendor Anant Naik at Prateeksha Nagar in Wadala apparently between Friday night and Saturday morning, police said. “A case has been registered under Section 379 (theft) of IPC and we are on the lookout for the thief”, said a police official.

Garud added that another possibility being explored was that even if the hoteliers were not involved in the theft of the onions, the culprits might try to sell them the stolen onions at a cheaper rate.

The police said that there are no Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) in the area where the theft occurred, and police station personnel are now scouring the area to find out if any autorickshaw or taxi drivers, or people returning late at night from work might have seen something that can give them a clue.

In Lasalgaon, Maharashtra, which happens to be Asia’s biggest onion market, wholesale priced reached Rs 57 on August 22.

Onions are now selling at an average of Rs 80 per kilogram in most parts of the country.

“The shortfall has primarily been on account of adverse weather conditions, including unseasonal rains which have impacted both the standing and harvested crop at major producing centres”, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The central government, meanwhile, has decided to import onions to keep a check on the prices.