COIMBATORE: A restaurant owner in Coimbatore city alleged that a gang caused damage to his business by spreading false information that a dead lizard was found in a non-vegetarian meal. The RS Puram Police have registered a case after the hotelier filed a petition with the City Police Commissioner on May 29, two days after the alleged incident.
The complainant, P Umapathi, alleged that the gang had fabricated the incident and reported it to the Food Safety Department through local media.
As per the First Information Report (FIR), a four-member gang visited the hotel at VCV Layout in RS Puram and ordered biryani for lunch on May 27. They were inebriated. After the food was served, one of them raised an alarm, claiming that a dead lizard was found in the chicken curry and they began to threaten the staff.
One member of the gang pretended to vomit while another recorded the events on a mobile phone. The gang subsequently fled in a car and circulated the videos to food safety officials through the media persons in Coimbatore.
It was found that they had placed the dead lizard in the food, the FIR states.
A woman customer who had eaten the food was taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors found no evidence of food poisoning, it further states.
Umapathi alleged that false information was spread about his hotel, claiming that customers who had eaten there were hospitalised. He said, "We have submitted the necessary documents to the Food Safety Department and cooperated with their inspection."
The same day an unknown person from Bhavani in Erode district contacted reporters in Coimbatore regarding the incident. Another person named Natarajan further circulated the hotel's location and asked reporters to visit for news coverage, he added.
Umapathi claimed vested interests are intentionally circulating false claims against his hotel.
He requested police action against those who staged the incident and spread false information through the media.
The RS Puram police filed charges on Wednesday against Natarajan and others involved under sections 292, 324(4), and 351(2) of the BNS Act.
An investigation is under way.