Police book model for framing Zomato delivery boy

Bengaluru: A city-based model and makeup artist, who accused Zomato’s delivery man of attacking her over alleged delayed service, was booked by the police on Monday.

Hitesha Chandranee has been charged with wrongful restraint, assault, intentional insult, and criminal intimidation based on a complaint by the delivery man.

“An FIR was registered against Hitesha, the woman, who claimed to be attacked by a Zomato delivery man,” a police officer said.

According to the officer, Kamaraj had stated that Hitesha had hit him with slippers, accused him of defaming her and hurling abuses at him on March 9. Hitesha, in the meanwhile, deleted her video from Twitter that went viral based on which the police had arrested Kamaraj on March 10.

The model had said in her video that she lodged a complaint with the Zomato customer care asking them to either deliver food free of cost or cancel the order after it was delayed.

“So guys, my Zomato order was late and I was talking to the customer care executive and meanwhile the delivery person just did this,” said Chandranee, crying and showing her bleeding nose in a selfie video, which was aired by some TV channels.

Zomato, which had initially assured Chandranee that it would help her with the police investigation along with assistance on the medical care required, later clarified it was also with Kamaraj extending all possible support.

“As per protocol, we have temporarily suspended Kamaraj from active deliveries, but are covering his earnings in the interim while there’s an active police investigation,” Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal said in a statement posted on Twitter.

He has also said his company was bearing the legal expenses of the case.