Barmer/Balotra, Aug. 10 -- A farmer in Rajasthan's Balotra district suffered a loss of Rs.5 lakh after termites destroyed cash that he had secretly buried in his field to protect it from theft and prevent his family members from spending it officials said on Sunday. The incident involves Mangilal Meghwal, a resident of Pachpadra, who lives with his family in a makeshift hut on his agricultural land in Nevayi village, a short distance from Pachpadra. About a year ago, Mangilal sold a plot of land in Pachpadra and received Rs.5 lakh. He planned to use the money to construct a room on his farm. However, fearing that the cash could be stolen, he decided to dig a pit in his field and buried the cash without telling his wife or sons. Habituated to forgetting things, he could not recall the exact spot where he had buried the money. Looking for it for several days across his nearly 10-bigha field, he failed to locate it. Mangilal eventually told his wife and sons about the buried cash who joined the search, but were unable to find the money. Nearly a year later, the family began preparing the field for sowing. While the land was being ploughed with a tractor at night, the buried polythene bag was accidentally brought to the surface. When Mangilal's family opened it, they found that pieces of Rs.500 notes were mixed with termites and the cash had been severely damaged. The family then approached SBI's main branch in Balotra, where they were advised to take the damaged currency to Jaipur. For the financially struggling family, travelling to Jaipur has now become a challenge. Mangilal hopes to find a way to recover at least a portion of his savings....