'Robin Hood do pyaaza': At Rs 10/kilo, a true onion steal-deal in Gwalior

BHOPAL: Call them Robin Hood do pyaaza. Two youngsters, apparently frustrated by soaring onion prices, stole Rs 60,000 worth of the precious goods and sold them away at Rs 10-20 per kilo in a matter of hours in Gwalior. They are now cooling their heels in prison.
The suspects, Ajay Jatav and Jitu Valmiki, just out of their teens, sneaked into a godown in Chhatri Sabji Mandi and made off with as much onion and garlic as they could carry last Saturday, say police.A dozen ‘katta’ (50kg packet) of onions and two katta of garlic were stolen.
Initially, there was no clue to the suspects. Anyone cooking a do-pyaaza dish could raise eyebrows these days, but then police got a tip that two youngsters were selling onion and garlic at give-away prices.
By the time police arrived, the onion Santas were gone.
Police registered a case and began peeling off the layers of the mystery. “During investigation, we zeroed in on Ajay Jatav and Jitu Valmiki. Both are aged around 20 years. They had sold onions and garlic at throwaway prices near sabji mandi. They were arrested and have admitted to the theft,” Janakganj police station incharge Preity Bhargav told TOI. The accused said that they stole onion and garlic because they have become far too expensive, say sources.
On Tuesday, a court remanded the duo in jail custody.
“They sold Rs 60,000 worth of onion and garlic for only Rs 6,000. They sold it at whatever price they got and it was over in a couple of hours,” said Bhargav. Some of the illegal proceeds have been recovered, said police.