Mumbai: Colaba resident finds cockroach inside Dahi Vada

Maharukh Irani had only taken a bite of the vada when she spotted the roach

What was supposed to be a light Sunday dinner turned out to be a buggy affair for Maharukh Irani, 76, and her family. They had ordered food from the popular eatery Kailash Parbat in Colaba. Halfway through the meal, Irani was horrified after spotting a cockroach inside the vada she had taken a bite of. Her family later sent a written complaint to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday demanding action against the restaurant.

Big roach

Irani's son-in-law, Pervez Cooper said their order had been delivered by the restaurant's staff. "My mother-in-law took a bite of the vada and felt something hard inside it. When she looked closer, she realised it was a big cockroach. We were shocked seeing something like this from a restaurant of such repute," said Cooper. When Cooper brought the matter to the restaurant's notice, they apologised and refunded the money.

Also Read: Mumbai: Chembur family served chicken, rice with cockroach on the side

Maharukh Irani. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Irani's daughter Shaheen said they were lucky to have spotted it in time since they had requested the restaurant to send the curd separately. "What if my mother had eaten it? She could have suffered food poisoning. The restaurant must be held responsible for this kind of behaviour," she said.

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Our kitchens are clean

When mid-day reached out to the restaurant, an employee insisted their kitchens were clean and felt it was unlikely for a whole cockroach to be present inside a vada. Refuting the allegations made by the Coopers, Hargun Mulchandani, a member of the management said, "The customer ordered food at home. Therefore, it cannot be said that what they are alleging occurred at our restaurant. The customer is trying to defame our restaurant for reasons best known to him. We take utmost care in maintaining the quality of food."

Assistant municipal commissioner of A ward Kiran Dighavkar said he has received the Coopers' complaint, "We will conduct an inspection of the restaurant premises to check if the kitchen is in a hygienic condition. We will also write to the FDA and request them to take further necessary action."

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