Even as the prices of tomatoes continue to soar across the country, a vegetable vendor in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi hired bouncers to protect tomatoes and keep customers at bay.
According to news agency PTI, the vendor, Ajay Fauji, said he decided to hire bouncers as the prices of tomatoes are too high and people are stealing tomatoes.
"People are indulging in violence and even looting tomatoes. Since we have tomatoes in the shop, we don't want any arguments, so we have bouncers here," Fauji was quoted as saying.
Tomatoes are being sold for Rs 160 per kilo, and people are only buying 50 or 100 grams, he claimed.
While the step taken by the vendor may sound over the top, a few days ago, there was an incident of tomato theft reported from a farm in Karnataka. Thieves made away with tomatoes worth Rs 2.7 lakh from a farm in Belur in Hassan district of Karnataka.
In a theft of a smaller scale, 20 kg of tomatoes was allegedly stolen from a shop in Mahabubabad district in Telangana.
—With PTI inputs