The Rameshwaram Café, a popular South Indian quick service restaurant chain, has lodged a police complaint against a group of individuals accused of staging a false food contamination incident at its Bengaluru airport outlet in a bid to extort money. According to the complaint filed by the café’s Operations Head, the incident unfolded on the morning of July 24, 2025, when a group of 5–7 individuals caused a commotion, falsely claiming that an insect was found in their food.
They allegedly threatened to circulate a video of the scene on social media unless they were compensated. Shortly after, the café’s team received a phone call demanding Rs 25 lakh in cash to avoid reputational damage.
In a press statement, the café clarified that it has submitted call logs, screenshots and supporting evidence to the police, urging swift action against those involved in what they described as a deliberate blackmail attempt.
'Safety & Hygiene Are Non-Negotiable': Rameshwaram Café Founder
Rameshwaram Café founder Divya Raghav firmly denied the accusations. "We categorically deny the baseless accusation that a worm or insect was found in our food. The safety and hygiene of our food preparation are non-negotiable. We operate under the strictest quality protocols, especially at sensitive locations like airports, where routine audits and hygiene checks are mandatory. This is clearly a case of a staged act with malicious intent to extort money and malign our brand," she said.
Divya also pointed to similar past incidents, where customers were allegedly caught trying to tamper with food in order to make false claims. "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 added.