Case registered after group tries to 'blackmail' Rameshwaram Cafe over insect-in-food claim
Bengaluru(PTI): A case was registered on Thursday against a group of individuals for allegedly attempting to malign Rameshwaram Cafe and extort money by staging a false incident of food contamination at its Kempegowda airport outlet.
The Kempegowda international airport police registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by Operations Head of Rameshwaram Cafe.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on the morning of July 24, when a group of five to seven individuals created a public disturbance, falsely alleging that the food served contained an insect.
The individuals then threatened to circulate the video on social media unless they were compensated, added the complaint.
Shortly after, the team received a phone call demanding Rs 25 lakh in cash to avoid reputational harm to the brand, stated the complaint.
Rameshwaram Café management have submitted call records, message screenshots, and other documentation to the police, requesting immediate legal action against the blackmail attempt.
The case was registered under section 308 (2) and 351 (4) of BNS.
According to police, a Zero FIR was registered and the case will be transferred to the relevant jurisdiction, as per the address of the complainant at the earliest.
A Zero FIR can be registered at any police station, regardless of jurisdiction of the area where a crime took place, and later transferred to the appropriate station for investigation.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Divya Raghav, Founder of The Rameshwaram Café, said, “We categorically deny the baseless accusation that a worm or insect was found in our food.”
According to her, the safety and hygiene of food preparation in Rameshwaram Cafe 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 added.
According to Raghav, 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 added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nightclub fire: Goa court remands Luthra brothers in police custody for five days
Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.
The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.
ALSO READ: Dharmasthala mass burial case: Accused Chinnayya expected to be released on Wednesday
“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.
“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.
A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.
The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.
After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.
The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.
Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.
After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.
ALSO READ: Woman threatens to end life as police official refuses to accept love proposal, FIR registered
The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.
