NEW DELHI: A case has been registered against a group of individuals accused of attempting to extort Rs 25 lakh from the popular Rameshwaram Cafe by allegedly staging a false incident of food contamination at its Kempegowda International Airport outlet in Bengaluru. According to police, the incident took place on the morning of 24 July. According to news agency PTI, a group of five to seven people reportedly caused a public disturbance by claiming that an insect had been found in the food served at the cafe. The complaint, filed by the café’s operations head, alleges that the individuals threatened to release a video of the incident on social media unless they were compensated. Soon after the scene, the team reportedly received a phone call demanding Rs 25 lakh in cash to avoid reputational damage to the brand. The cafe management has submitted call records, message screenshots, and other documents to support their claims and has urged police to take swift legal action. Police say a Zero FIR has been registered under sections 308(2) and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the case will be transferred to the jurisdiction relevant to the complainant’s address. A Zero FIR allows a complaint to be filed at any police station regardless of the location of the crime. In a statement, Divya Raghav, founder of The Rameshwaram Café, rejected the accusations. “We categorically deny the baseless accusation that a worm or insect was found in our food,” she said. “This is clearly a staged act with malicious intent to extort money and malign our brand.” Ms Raghav said the cafe operates under “the strictest quality protocols” and that food safety, especially at sensitive locations like airports, is non-negotiable. She added that similar extortion attempts had been made in the past. “We will not succumb to intimidation or blackmail,” she said, adding that the company is fully cooperating with authorities and plans to pursue legal action against the alleged perpetrators.
