- The Rameshwaram Cafe filed a police complaint over alleged food contamination at its Bengaluru airport outlet
- A customer claimed to find a worm in food and shared a viral video on social media
- The restaurant accused a group of staging the incident to extort Rs 25 lakhs from them
A popular south Indian restaurant brand has filed a police complaint against a group of people who it said allegedly tried to malign the brand and extort money by staging a false incident of food contamination at its Bengaluru airport outlet.
A customer had alleged a worm was found inside a dish served to him at the airport outlet of The Rameshwaram Cafe on Thursday. He also shared a purported video of the worm in his food, which quickly went viral on social media.
In a statement, The Rameshwaram Cafe's management said a group of five-seven individuals created a public disturbance, falsely alleging that the food served contained an insect.
"Reportedly, the individuals then threatened to circulate the video on social media unless they were compensated. Shortly after, the team received a phone call demanding Rs 25 lakhs in cash to avoid reputational harm to the brand," the popular restaurant chain said.
"In response, The Rameshwaram Cafe has submitted call records, message screenshots, and other documentation to the police, requesting immediate legal action against the blackmail attempt," it said in the statement.
The Rameshwaram Cafe founder Divya Raghav said they categorically deny the baseless accusation that a worm or insect was found in their food.
"The safety and hygiene of our food preparation are non-negotiable. We operate under the strictest quality protocols, especially at sensitive locations like airports, where routine audits and hygiene checks are mandatory. This is clearly a case of a staged act with malicious intent to extort money and malign our brand," she said in the statement.
She alleged there have been similar attempts in the past where in different instances customers have put stones, insects in the food but were caught red-handed.
"We will not succumb to intimidation or blackmail. We are fully cooperating with the authorities and will pursue stringent legal action to ensure such unethical acts are exposed and discouraged," she said, and requested the public and media to refrain from sharing unverified content that could mislead consumers and damage the reputation of businesses working with integrity.
