Chelo kebab bait to dupe people: Peter Cat & Mocambo owner files complaint with Kolkata Police cyber crime

“Buy one get two free on your first order of chelo kebab” – if you have noticed this on your Facebook wall feed and resisted the temptation to order from the renowned Park Street restaurant, Peter Cat, be glad you were not among those duped.

The owner of restaurants Peter Cat and Mocambo have lodged a complaint with Kolkata Police’s cyber crime section that the names of his restaurants are being used to dupe people. Nitin Kothari, owner of Peter Cat and Mocambo told The Bengal Story, “some of my friends and customers called up to say that they had seen such offers. I was told that some of them have even lodged complaints with the police. Since the name and reputation of our restaurants were involved, we have lodged a complaint with the police.”

Kothari said that some items that the restaurants have never sold – such as thalis – were being shown as being part of the Peter Cat and Mocambo menu and this was a way some customers began to suspect that this was not the original restaurant.

Potential customers who disclosed their phone numbers and other details have lost their money as per information from police sources. Several kinds of platforms – from sponsored advertisements on Facebook to sending links via SMS – seem to have been used to dupe potential customers. A complaint was lodged at Netaji Nagar police station a few days back after a person lost Rs 32,000 when he tried to place an order by clicking a link sent on his mobile phone.

But the name of Peter Cat is still being used in other social media platforms – such as Facebook – with various offers, even on May 24, Wednesday. Kothari said that when the information began to pour in, the Facebook pages of Peter Cat and Mocambo posted that the restaurant delivers food through two app based delivery services and are also physically open, and that no such offers are available as are being claimed.

Joint CP (Crime) of Kolkata Police, Murlidhar Sharma, said that he was aware of the matter and a gang from Jharkhand’s Jamtara, is suspected to be involved in it. “We are working on it,” he said.