Customer hurt herself, says Zomato food delivery executive

Food delivery executive K Kamaraj, accused of assaulting a woman customer, was granted conditional bail on Thursday.

He was called to the Electronics City police station after Instagram 'beauty influencer' Hitesha Chandranee put out a video with a bleeding nose, claiming he had punched her.

Suspended from Zomato after the incident, Kamaraj told DH he was trying to defend himself from an aggressive Hitesha, who injured herself with her ring.

Kamaraj broke down while narrating his side of the story. “I reached the customer’s house late; the delivery had got delayed because of traffic. I gave her the item, which she placed on a table near the door,” he says.

Hitesha was chatting with Zomato’s customer support, saying she should get the food free as it was delayed. He asked her not to complain as it would affect his payout and rating. “I requested her to pay Rs 198, as she had opted for cash on delivery,” he said.

When she refused, Kamaraj says, he took the food from the table and walked towards the lift. Hitesha allegedly followed him and started hurling expletives at him.

"She didn’t allow me to get into the lift and was beating me up with a chappal. I shielded myself and hit her hand. On her right hand, she was wearing a ring, which might have hurt her face. I didn’t punch her," he says.

Read | Zomato delivery boy arrested for assaulting Bengaluru female customer

In the commotion, Kamaraj rushed down to the third floor (Hitesha’s house is on the fourth floor), where he was stopped by a resident. "He asked me what happened and I explained. He told me to report it to Zomato,” Kamaraj says.

He did, and the platform said the order would be cancelled. Kamaraj, a resident of Hosa Road near Singasandra, went home.

"I got a call from the Electronics City police station at 6.20 pm, informing me about the customer’s complaint and asking me to go there. I reached the station by 7.15 pm,” he says.

Police heard his story and wanted to know why he hadn’t registered a complaint. “I explained,” he said, adding that the police treated him with respect.

‘First incident ever’

Zomato has said it will consider hiring Kamaraj back if he is cleared of the assault charge.

“I have delivered more than 5,000 orders without any such complaints,” he said, adding that he is respectful, and addresses customers as ‘sir’ and ‘madam’, whatever their age.

Kamaraj is worried about finding work and paying off his loans. “I am confused about what to do,” he said.

In case of complaints, food delivery platforms should listen to both sides of the story before they delist their executives, he urged.