An FIR has been registered against Instagram influencer Hitesha Chandranee, who had accused Zomato delivery executive Kamaraj of attacking her, based on a complaint by the Kamaraj in Karnataka’s Bengaluru.
She has been booked under sections 355 (assault), 504 (insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. The Zomato food delivery executive, who is accused of assaulting a woman customer, has rejected the allegations levelled against him, saying “let the truth win”.
Recently, the Bengaluru woman Chandranee accused Zomato delivery executive Kamaraj of assaulting her which left her nose bleeding. “She refused to pay after accepting the order as I was late for the delivery and asked it for free,” Kamaraj, the accused, told ANI.
“She started hitting me with slippers and at some point in time while safeguarding myself, my left hand touched her right hand and the ring which she worn hit her nose and it started bleeding.
“I don’t want to make it more complicated, let the truth win. If not, I will fight it legally. I have a mother with co-morbid conditions, my father died 15 years back, I am the only breadwinner for my family. I am working in Zomato for the past 26 months with 4.7 ratings. As of now, the company has blocked my ID until this case completes and assured of taking it back once the matter resolves,” he added.
Chandranee on Tuesday narrated the incident on one of her social media handles, where she can be seen with a bloody injury on her nose.
Earlier, Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra requested the concerned authorities to look into the matter and ‘publicly report the truth’.
“Zomato India – PLEASE find and publicly report the truth.. If the gentleman is innocent (and I believe he is), PLEASE help us penalise the woman in question. This is inhuman, shameful and heartbreaking .. Please let me know how I can help..,” she tweeted.
Zomato India – PLEASE find and publicly report the truth.. If the gentleman is innocent (and I believe he is), PLEASE help us penalise the woman in question. This is inhuman, shameful and heartbreaking .. Please let me know how I can help.. #ZomatoDeliveryGuy @zomato @zomatoin
— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) March 14, 2021
In the video posted on Instagram, Chandranee said that Kamaraj hit her while she was speaking to a Zomato customer care executive regarding the late order.
Hours after Chandranee posted the video, Kamaraj was arrested by the Bengaluru police. However, he was granted conditional bail on Thursday.
Zomato soon responded to the incident through social media, apologising for the same and informed that Kamaraj had been delisted from the platform.