Moment female diner ‘removes piece of plastic from cigarette packet hidden in her BRA and puts it in chicken curry to avoid paying £170 restaurant bill’
- CCTV footage shows diner appearing to tear the wrapper from cigarette packet
- The woman then places the piece of plastic into the chicken curry she was eating
- Family-of-five then refused to pay their bill and walked out while making threats
- Police have since confirmed they are investigating an allegation of theft
This is the extraordinary moment it is claimed a female diner removes a piece of plastic she had been hiding in her bra and places it in her food before refusing to pay her £170 bill.
CCTV footage shows the woman appearing to tear the wrapper from a cigarette packet she had stored inside her underwear before putting into a bowl of chicken curry.
Restaurant owner Naseem Khan, 44, said the family-of-five had wolfed down their food at her popular curry house Namji in Milton Keynes on Monday afternoon.
But when the bill arrived, they made threats before storming out as they made complaints about the ‘plastic’ in their food – despite being offered a 20 per cent discount.
Police have since confirmed they are investigating an allegation of theft made against the family.
Ms Khan, known locally at the ‘Queen of Curry’ after feeding 150 families for free last Christmas, said she would not have charged the diners for the meals if she knew they were unable to afford them.
CCTV footage shows the woman appearing to reach into her bra for a cigarette packet as she looks around
She then appears to tear the wrapper from the cigarette packet she had stored inside her underwear before putting into a bowl of chicken curry
Ms Khan said: ‘You could say this is somebody who is not happy with the food, but they wolfed down the food and nothing was left at the end – they ate everything.
‘Doing this in front of kids is not acceptable in this society. If she was struggling with money, she could have come to me and I would have given her food for free. But she didn’t do that.’
Ms Khan, who owns two restaurants in the city, said the family arrived at the restaurant – located in the Xscape shopping centre – at around 3.30pm on Monday.
They ordered four starters, seven side plates, four drinks and six main courses – including two Tandoor lamb chops – reaching a bill of £170.45.
But she said the family began to complain about their food soon after they were sat down, before the alleged incident took place.
Ms Khan continued: ‘This particular couple started to complain about the starters first, but they ate all of them. And when the main food came out, they ate all of it again.
‘Later, the woman called the waiter and said there was plastic in her food. The waiter said: “We don’t have this plastic in our kitchen, but I have the authority to give you 20 per cent off and not charge you for the dish.”‘
Restaurant owner Naseem Khan, 44, is known as the ‘Queen of Curry’ after supplying free meals to the homeless during the pandemic
The family-of-five ordered four starters, seven side plates, four drinks and six main courses before refusing to pay their bill
‘The husband of the woman then stood up and said: “I’m not going to pay”, and the waiter said: “Fine, do what you have to do” and walked away.
Waiters at the restaurant have been given ‘clear instructions’ not to confront any customer following problems with ‘very aggressive and abusive’ diners in the past.
Ms Khan said she realised what had happened after she reviewed footage on her security cameras.
She said: ‘We went on the CCTV to examine how things could have gone better. That’s when we discovered that she removed the plastic from her bra.
‘It was from a cigarette packet. She broke a piece off and put the rest back in her bra, then put it in the curry and called the waiter.’
Ms Khan gave away 250 meals for free each week during the pandemic to help homeless people across Milton Keynes, while also taking part in multiple fundraising projects.
Speaking at the time, she said it was ‘my responsibility to help others and give to charity’.
But she has been left angered by the family’s actions as she expressed concern they have used the trick to avoid paying for food at other restaurants.
She has since complained to police, adding that it is something she would ‘never expect or wish to see’.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: ‘At around 8.30am today (11/10), we received a report of a theft at Namji restaurant in Xscape in Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes.
‘Officers are investigating and anyone with information should call 101 or make a report on our website.’