A farmer in Rajasthan who buried ₹5 lakh in cash in his field to protect his savings from theft was left shocked after the money was discovered nearly a year later—badly damaged by termites.
The farmer had reportedly received the money after selling a plot of land and intended to use the savings to build a house. Concerned that keeping such a large amount of cash at home could expose it to theft or unnecessary spending, he decided to hide it underground.
However, the unusual plan took an unfortunate turn when he later forgot where he had buried the money.
According to the report, the farmer had sold a piece of land around a year earlier and received ₹5 lakh.
He reportedly put the cash inside a polythene bag, dug a pit in his agricultural field and buried the money.
The farmer subsequently forgot the exact location of the hidden cash. After making several attempts to find it, he eventually told his wife and sons about the money.
The family then searched different parts of the field, but their efforts initially failed to locate the buried cash.
The money was eventually discovered when the family began preparing the field for sowing during the monsoon season.
One night, the polythene bag containing the cash reportedly surfaced from the soil but went unnoticed because of the darkness.
The following morning, the farmer’s wife and son were repairing the fencing around the field when they spotted the bag.
When they opened it, they realised that it contained the ₹5 lakh the farmer had buried almost a year earlier.
But there was little reason to celebrate.
The cash had been severely damaged by termites.
The notes were reportedly torn into pieces, leaving the family with badly damaged currency instead of the savings they had hoped to recover.
The family collected the damaged pieces and approached a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in the town, hoping that the notes could be exchanged.
However, the branch reportedly refused to accept the severely damaged notes.
The family then approached SBI’s main branch in the district, but they were reportedly turned away there as well.
The incident illustrates the risks involved in keeping large amounts of physical currency in unsuitable storage conditions.
Paper currency can be damaged by moisture, insects, termites, mould and other environmental factors, particularly when it is buried underground without appropriate protection.
In this case, the farmer’s attempt to protect his savings from theft ultimately resulted in the cash being exposed to another risk.
