KOLAR, 29 OCT

10 tractors and attached trolleys worth over Rs 70 lakh were seized by police after a complaint was lodged at Royalpadu police station in Srinivasapur taluk of Kolar district.

The tractors were seized from Purushottam Reddy resident of Mandikal village in Mulbagal taluk, who was arrested after a team of police headed by Police Sub-Inspector Shivakumar, Gownipalli, acted on the complaint.

According to Shivakumar, the accused approached tractor owners in several villages of Srinivasapur taluk, convincing them to lease their tractors to progressive farmers for a monthly rent of ₹15,000. Between 2021 and 2023, he managed to persuade around 37 farmers to sign lease agreements. However, after taking possession of the tractors, he allegedly sold them without the owners’ consent and went out of contact for nearly two years. 

When some farmers tried to reach him after hearing about the death of his son, they were shocked to discover that their tractors had been sold in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. While a few recovered their vehicles, several small farmers could not.

Majju, a farmer who was among the first few to hand over his tractor to Reddy, was the person to lodge the police complaint.