A customer at Radhakrishna Hotel in Borivali West, Mumbai, allegedly found a small dead rat inside a Mysore masala dosa on September 29, after his brother had eaten several bites and reportedly vomited. The family approached Borivali Police, and Senior Police Inspector Pushpalata Mandale said the complaint was forwarded to the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Following the complaint, the FDA suspended the hotel’s food licence, with further investigation underway. Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said, “We will take action on the restaurant” and asked the complainant to approach the regulator. The case comes amid a wider state-wide food-safety crackdown targeting restaurants and other food establishments over hygiene and pest-control concerns.
A Meal Turns Into A Police Complaint
According to the complaint, Amit Trivedi had visited Radhakrishna Hotel with his two brothers and son to have South Indian food. He ordered a Mysore masala dosa, and his brother reportedly ate several bites before noticing what appeared to be a small dead rat inside the cooked dish. The discovery allegedly left him distressed and caused him to vomit.
Trivedi subsequently approached Borivali Police Station and sought action over the alleged food-safety lapse. The restaurant is located opposite Goyal Shopping Center on L.T. Road, near Borivali West railway station. Senior Police Inspector Pushpalata Mandale confirmed that the complaint was forwarded to the FDA. An FDA official subsequently confirmed that the restaurant’s licence had been suspended.
Wider Food-Safety Crackdown
The Borivali incident has emerged at a time when Maharashtra’s food regulator is conducting intensified inspections of restaurants, hotels, dairies and other food businesses, particularly ahead of the festive season. The FDA has recently taken action against several establishments after inspections reportedly found hygiene and food-safety concerns. At Mumbai’s century-old Kyani & Co., for instance, officials reportedly found rat droppings, live flies and dead cockroaches in food preparation and storage areas, along with cats on the premises.
Other Mumbai establishments, including Café Mondegar and Olympia Coffee House, have also faced regulatory action over issues involving sanitation, food storage, temperature control and pest infestation. These cases underline why pest control is a core food-safety requirement, rather than simply a matter of keeping a restaurant visually clean.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Customers should be able to trust that food served at a restaurant has been prepared and stored under basic safety and hygiene standards. At the same time, an allegation must be distinguished from a finding established through an official investigation. In this case, the complaint has already triggered regulatory action, but the circumstances surrounding the alleged contamination still need to be established by the authorities.
The incident also raises a broader question about how food-safety standards are maintained between inspections, particularly in busy commercial kitchens where pest control, sanitation and safe food handling must be continuous practices. Strong enforcement is important, but so is accountability at every level, from restaurant operators and regulators to the systems that support safe public spaces. What more can be done to ensure that food safety becomes a daily responsibility rather than a concern addressed only after a serious complaint?
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