Police in Zhemgang are on the lookout for a thief, who stole over 500 kilogrammes of avocado from an orchard in lower Phosang of Nangkor Gewog. The thief not only stole the avocado fruits but also destroyed the trees in the process. The incident, which happened on the 15th of August, has left the owner of the avocado orchard, an elderly man, devastated.
72-year-old Naina Singh Mongar is almost in tears as he sees what has befallen in front of him.
His avocado trees, once full of fruits, now bear scars from the thief’s intrusion. Naina Singh says that the damage caused by the thief goes beyond the stolen fruit.
He said the avocado, which was valuable to him is now in the hands of a stranger who does not understand the effort and love that went into growing it.
“This year, the yield was very good, and I was expecting over 500 kilogrammes of avocado and I hoped to make about 100,000 ngultrum this time. But an elderly man like myself who stays with children and works along the road is helpless. I had nurtured these fruiting trees with my own hands. Now it is in the hands of heartless people. Now I am thinking about how we can survive with merely the income of my children. Otherwise, it used to help us a lot. The thief has not only stolen my fruits but also caused damage to trees.”
Apart from losing avocados, Naina Singh said that the thief also stole bananas.
“Bananas are stolen every time. I used to make about Nu 15,000 to 20,000 from selling bananas, but now that is also stolen. I would not have complained about stealing bananas, but the thief has damaged avocado trees.”
Thirteen avocado trees were damaged during the intrusion in Naina Singh’s orchard.
A kilogramme of avocado is sold at Nu 250 in Zhemgang, while the same is priced between Nu 300 to 400 in the capital.
Police in Zhemgang say people come to report cases of stolen fruits in small quantities, but this is the first case where hundreds of kilogrammes of avocado were stolen.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Sherub Dorji
