Japan's Miyazaki is the world's most expensive mango. Also known as "sun egg", it sells for between Tk 1.5 lakh and Tk 3 lakh.

An industrialist in Kumarkhali, Kushtia, had planted a seedling of this mango at his home. Now a Miyazaki mango tree planted in a plastic drum has allegedly been stolen, and the industrialist lodged a written complaint with the police on the afternoon of Thursday (18 September).

The heavily guarded house, called "Parent Lodge", is in Alauddin Nagar in the upazila's Nandalalpur union. It belongs to Alauddin Ahmed, chairman of Healthcare Pharmaceuticals.

The tree is worth more than Tk 1 lakh. About a year ago Alauddin Ahmed brought it from Japan and gave it to his wife, Suraiya Bilkis, on her birthday. Md Saifur Rahman, manager of the Alauddin Ahmed Foundation, confirmed the details.

According to the written complaint and local sources, Alauddin Ahmed's wife had planted the tree in a plastic drum on the south side of the luxurious Parent Lodge. On 1 September the tree vanished along with the drum. After searching likely places without finding it, manager Saifur Rahman filed the written complaint on Thursday afternoon.

A visit in the afternoon found Parent Lodge, a luxurious white multi-storey building, beside the Alauddin Nagar rail gate to Shilaidah Rabindra Kuthibari road. It has a concrete wall on all sides, several entrances covered by CCTV cameras and a guard at the gate. Inside the wall are many local and foreign trees, large and small, but the Miyazaki mango tree is gone.

The guard, Asadul Islam, said: "I joined six months ago. I don't know anything about the tree."

Golam Hafiz, senior assistant manager of the Alauddin Ahmed Foundation, said about one and a half thousand trees of various species had been planted at Parent Lodge and the surrounding area for greening. "Last year, on her birthday, sir gave madam the Miyazaki mango tree from Japan. The valuable tree is worth more than Tk 1 lakh. Despite the tight security, it has suddenly gone missing. The manager filed a written complaint with the police today," he said.

Acknowledging the complaint, Kumarkhali police station officer-in-charge (OC) Khandaker Ziaur Rahman said: "A written complaint has been filed over the loss of a valuable gifted tree. It will be investigated and the necessary action taken." He added that this may be the first such complaint about a missing tree in the area.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.