Two days after a Zomato executive allegedly assaulted a Bengaluru woman following a delayed delivery, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has released a statement on Friday and providing all the support to both the alleged accused and the victim, and the police.
Taking it to Twitter, Goyal wrote, “I want to chime in about the incident that happened in Bengaluru a few days ago. @zomato.”
The statement read, “Right from the get go, our topmost priority has been to get to the truth. Towards that, we are helping both Hitesha and Kamaraj (our delivery partner) with all support they need while investigation is pending. We are also assisting the police in whichever way asked.”
“We are also in constant with Hiteasha, covering her medical expenses, and helping her with the proceedings. We are also in constant touch with Kamaraj, and extending all possible support to make sure both sides of the story come to light and that due process is followed in the spirit of fairness”, the statement further read.
“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. We are also covering his legal expenses pertaining to the case. Also, for the record-Kamaraj has made 5,000 deliveries for us so far, and has a 4.75/5 star rating on our platform ( which is one of the highest), and has been working with us for 26 months now. (these are facts, not opinions, or inferences).”
“I thank all of you for your concern and hope to get to know the truth as soon as possible”, the statement concluded.
Check out the tweet here:
I want to chime in about the incident that happened in Bengaluru a few days ago. @zomato pic.twitter.com/8mM9prpMsx
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 12, 2021
On March 11, the accused delivery boy has denied all the allegations by the Beauty influencer Hitesha.
In an interview with The News Minute, the delivery person named Kamaraj, who has been suspended by the company after the complaint, said, “After I reached her apartment door, I handed her the food and I was expecting her to pay me (as she had opted for cash on delivery mode of payment). I also apologised since the delivery was delayed due to traffic and bad roads. But she was very rude from the outset. She asked me ‘Why are you late?’ I replied apologetically, as there were road blocks due to ongoing civic works and there were traffic jams as well. But she kept on insisting that the order has to be delivered within 45-50 minutes. I am working on this job for more than two years and this is the first time that I have had to go through this kind of an ordeal.”
He said she even refused to pay for the food. Kamaraj claims he was then told by Zomato officials that they had cancelled the order based on her request. He then asked her to return the food, which she refused, according to The News Minute report. He reportedly decided to leave the premises even if without the food, but that is when, he claims, she began hitting him and abusing him in Hindi.
“At this point, when she was trying to push my hand away, she accidentally hit herself with her finger ring on the nose, which led to the bleeding. Anybody who sees her face, will understand that this wouldn’t be created by a punch. And I don’t wear any rings,” Kamaraj told the website.
“The police did not disrespect me in any way. But now I have to spend Rs 25,000 for legal expenses to prevent my arrest,” Kamaraj told The News Minute.
