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New Delhi: The owners and a representative of popular eatery Rameshwaram Cafe have been booked on charges of selling noxious food, criminal conspiracy and fabricating false evidence, among other offences, police said on Monday.

Following a complaint lodged by Nikhil N, who alleged serious food safety violation and 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, they said.

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, police said.

According to the FIR, at the Rameshwaram Cafe’s terminal 1 outlet, Nikhil ordered ‘Ven Pongal’ and filter coffee. He allegedly found 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 learnt through media reports that a case had been lodged against him in Bengaluru accusing him of threatening the cafe’s brand reputation and demanding Rs 25 lakh, the FIR stated.

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.

Police also later clarified that no evidence was found against Nikhil and his friends that they were involved in blackmail or extortion.

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.

Based on the complaint, 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, police added.