Over 2,000 coffee plants, 250 pepper vines cut down at Kalakooru village

Madikeri: In a shocking incident of large-scale vandalism, unidentified miscreants entered a coffee plantation at Kalakooru village near Birunani in Ponnampet taluk of Kodagu district and destroyed more than 2,000 coffee plants and 250 pepper vines, causing losses estimated to run into several lakhs of rupees.

The plantation belongs to Kuppanamada Gautham, who had carefully developed the four-acre estate over the years with seven-year-old coffee plants and pepper vines. The estate was equipped with modern surveillance measures, including CCTV cameras installed at strategic locations.

The incident took place while Gautam and his family were away in Mysuru to attend a wedding ceremony. Taking advantage of their absence, miscreants trespassed into the plantation and carried out widespread destruction.

In addition to cutting down the crops, the perpetrators disconnected and took away the CCTV cameras in an attempt to erase evidence.

The destruction was extensive, with coffee plants and pepper vines cut at ground level, leaving no scope for regrowth. Gautham now faces the difficult and expensive task of re-establishing the plantation from scratch.

 Villagers described the act as deliberate and well-planned. They pointed out that the scale of destruction indicated the involvement of at least eight to ten persons.

The incident triggered outrage among villagers and members of the local farming community, who strongly condemned the destruction of crops and demanded immediate action against those responsible.

Hudikeri Revenue Inspector Santhosh visited the spot and inspected the damaged estate. Srimangala Police Station Inspector A.S. Ravindra, along with his team, also visited the plantation. Police deployed a dog squad to gather clues.