Bengaluru Police have booked the owners and a representative of popular South Indian eatery Rameshwaram Cafe on charges of selling noxious food, criminal conspiracy, and fabricating false evidence, among other offences. The FIR was filed after a flyer, Nikhil N, alleged that the eatery served him contaminated food at Kempegowda International Airport, and later filed a false extortion case against him.
Case for selling noxious food, criminal conspiracy
Following a complaint lodged by Nikhil, who alleged a serious food safety violation and a subsequent attempt to defame him through a false counter-complaint, the FIR was registered against the eatery's owner, Raghavendra Rao, his wife Divya Raghavendra Rao, and senior executive Sumanth Lakshminarayan at the BIAL police station on November 29.
The incident occurred on July 24 this year at terminal 1 of Kempegowda International Airport. Nikhil was at the airport to board a flight to Guwahati.
A case was registered under Sections 61 (criminal conspiracy), 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 217 (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person), 228 (fabricated false evidence) 229 (punishment for false evidence), 274 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale) and 275 (sale of noxious food or drink) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the matter is under investigation.
What did the complainant say?
According to the FIR, on July 24, 2025, at around 7:42, Nikhil visited the Rameshwaram Cafe's terminal 1 outlet before boarding a flight to Guwahati and ordered 'Ven Pongal' and filter coffee. He allegedly discovered a worm in the food. He immediately alerted the staff, who offered to replace the dish, but he refused as he wanted to board the flight.
While other customers took a photo of the worm, Nikhil claimed he left the cafe without creating any problem and boarded his flight, it said.
The following day, Nikhil claims he was shocked to learn through media reports that Sumanth, a cafe representative, had filed a complaint against him in Bengaluru accusing him of threatening the cafe's brand reputation and demanding Rs 25 lakh.
During an investigation into the complaint lodged by the representative of the cafe, Nikhil and his friends were summoned for questioning, police said.
In the complaint, Nikhil denied making any financial demands or even seeking a refund and asserted that his flight records prove he was airborne at the time cited in the cafe's complaint, making the allegations false.
Later, Nikhil lodged a counter-complaint and termed the incident a serious food-safety violation. He accused the cafe owners and the representative of filing a false case against him with the intention of defaming and harassing him.
The complainant has asked the police to examine the cafe's CCTV footage and his travel documents to establish the facts. He alleged that serving contaminated food was a "grave safety violation" and that the counter-complaint was filed to "defame and harass" him.
Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
As of now, an official statement from Rameshwaram Cafe regarding the FIR and allegations is still awaited.
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Rameshwaram Cafe alleges Rs 25 lakh extortion attempt
Earlier in July, a police complaint was filed against a group of individuals accused of attempting to extort Rs 25 lakh from the popular Rameshwaram Cafe by falsely claiming that an insect was found in the food served at its Bengaluru Airport outlet.
According to the complaint, the incident took place on the morning of July 24, 2025, when a group of 5 to 7 individuals created panic at the airport outlet by alleging that an insect had been discovered in one of the food items. A video of the alleged incident soon surfaced online, sparking public concern. However, the management of Rameshwaram Cafe has stated that the entire episode was staged as part of a deliberate attempt to extort money and tarnish the restaurant's reputation.
The operations head of the cafe chain reported that the group threatened to circulate the video on social media unless they were paid a substantial amount as compensation. Later, a phone call was received from an anonymous number demanding Rs 25 lakh in cash.
Rameshwaram Cafe denied insect in food claim
Divya Raghav, the founder of Rameshwaram Cafe, responded firmly to the allegations: "We categorically deny the baseless claim that insects were found in our food. We maintain the highest standards of safety and hygiene in our food preparation, especially in high-sensitivity zones like airports, where regular inspections are mandatory. This incident appears to be a malicious attempt to damage our brand and extort money."
She also revealed that this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. "There have been previous failed attempts to malign our name, including planting stones and insects in our food. In those cases, too, the culprits were caught red-handed. We will not be intimidated by such tactics and are cooperating fully with the authorities. We urge them to identify and penalise the individuals behind this act."
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