Video: Worm found in pongal served at Rameshwaram Cafe; outlet alleges conspiracy

Bengaluru: A video of a group of people claiming to have found a worm in the food served at the Rameshwaram Cafe outlet at the Kempegowda International Airport went viral on social media on Thursday.

The netizens who reposted the video widely raised concerns over the hygiene of the food served at the well-known cafe. Many of them opined that the hygiene had taken a hit even though the cafe charges a hefty price.

While the posts claimed that a cockroach-like insect was found in Pongal, the representatives from the cafe argued that it was staged and the insect was added into the food by the customers themselves.

“If you carefully examine the videos and photos, you can see that the insect is almost alive. Pongal is cooked at high temperatures and we do not use vegetables. In such a situation, it is impossible to find such an insect,” Divya Raghav, MD, The Rameshwaram Cafe told DH.

The cafe, in a statement, claimed that it was an attempt to extort money by staging a false incident of food contamination.

According to the formal complaint lodged by the cafe’s Operations Head, the incident occurred on Thursday morning, when a group of 5-7 individuals alleged 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 25 lakhs in cash to avoid reputational harm to the brand,” the statement by the cafe said.

Divya further added that this was not the first such incident.

“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.