Customer finds dead rat in dish served at Mumbai restaurant; manager, 2 cooks arrested

A person has complained he found a dead rat in a dish he ordered at a restaurant in Mumbai, following which the police arrested the eatery's manager and two cooks, an official said on Wednesday.

The customer, who is a bank executive, went to the restaurant located in suburban Bandra after shopping on Sunday night, the official from Bandra police station said.

While having dinner, he found a dead baby rat in the chicken dish he had ordered, as per the police.

The customer initially did not notice it in the curry and consumed some of it as he thought it to be a piece of chicken. Later, he got suspicious over the meat and found it to be a baby rat, the official said.

When he complained to the restaurant staff, they apologised to him.

The customer, however, started feeling sick after discovering the rat in the curry and he visited a doctor.

Based on his complaint, the restaurant's manager and two cooks were arrested and booked under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 272 (adulteration of food meant to be sold) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), the official said.

They were later released on bail, he added.

The restaurant is known for its Punjabi food.