UP man finds dead rat in Mumbai's Barbeque Nation meal, hospitalised

A 35-year-old man hailing from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, Rajeev Shukla, was hospitalised after having food at Barbeque Nation with a dead mouse in it.

Shukla had arrived in Mumbai on January 6 and had ordered a vegetarian meal from the Worli outlet of Barbeque Nation.

The victim shared pictures on social media in which the dead mouse was seen. He also shared a picture of the bill and himself in the hospital on X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the publication, Shukla said that he was also shocked to find dead cockroaches in the box containing gulab jamuns.

Speaking to India Today, Shukla said, "I ordered a vegetarian meal from the online app of Barbeque Nation on January 8, but the food was contaminated. The veg meal box contained rice, sabzi (vegetable curry), dal, parathas, gulab jamuns and salad. I had the sabzi. The dal, however, tasted weird. As I dipped the spoon further in the container of the dal, I was shocked to find a dead mouse inside."

He told the publication, "I called the Barbeque Nation customer care but nobody cared. Since I was feeling terribly sick, I vomited quite a number of times throughout the night. I spent the night somehow. In the morning, the hotel staff arranged a cab for me. I went to Nair Hospital and was admitted immediately. Tests were conducted and I was treated for food poisoning. I was discharged on January 12."

The Nair Hospital had informed the Nagpada Police Station but no action as such was taken.

Shukla also said, "I also went to the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) in Bandra because police asked me to speak to them. FDA authorities said that a complaint has been registered but no action has been taken as yet. I went to the Nagpada Police Station on January 15 as well and was there till midnight. An FIR has not been filed as yet.

Barbeque Nation responded to Shukla’s post on X, “Hi Rajeev. We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced. We believe Mr Paresh from our Regional Office, in Mumbai is already in touch with you to understand the details of the situation and work towards a resolution. We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly and effectively.”

Shukla stated, "Someone called Pankaj Rai from Barbeque Nation called me and apologised. They barely respond to mails. Today, somebody called Shariq called and fixed a meeting. He later called back and cancelled it."