The rising prices of coffee beans, driven by a global decline in coffee production, are putting additional pressure on coffee growers, many of whom are facing thefts. In Siddapura, coffee grower Hussain lost over 800kg of Robusta coffee beans when thieves raided a storage room on his estate. The theft was reported on January 26. After a month of thorough investigation, Siddapura police arrested four individuals involved in the theft. The accused—KB Shafiq (36), TJ Francis (29), MG Anees (24), and MB Yasin (28)—are all residents of Kodagu district.
During the investigation, police discovered the involvement of the accused in several other coffee theft cases across Virajpet limits. In a significant development, the police seized 51 bags of stolen coffee, totaling approximately 2,550kg. The investigation is still ongoing, with authorities working to uncover more thefts linked to the arrested suspects.
With coffee theft on the rise, growers are taking measures to protect their crops. Vethan, a coffee grower in Biligeri, shared his concerns about increasing thefts. “Wildlife movements make it difficult to stay on the estate at night. But due to growing thefts, I’ve installed solar-powered CCTV cameras across the estate, particularly in front of the drying and storage areas. These cameras even have night-vision capabilities,” he said.
In response to these rising thefts, SP K Ramarajan has advised coffee growers to enhance security by installing CCTV cameras. He has also issued instructions to coffee trading centers across the district to follow strict guidelines when collecting beans from sellers to help prevent further thefts.
