Hyderabad: In a shocking incident, a customer found a lizard in biryani at a family restaurant located on Sagar Road on the city outskirts in Ibrahimpatnam.
While dining at Mehfil restaurant, Gujja Krishna Reddy was appalled to find a lizard in his biryani. Disturbed and revolted, he promptly addressed the restaurant staff about this alarming breach of food safety standards. When Reddy raised concerns with the management, he received a dismissive response: ‘It’s nicely fried, you can eat it.’ This insensitive and careless remark further enraged the customer, who then decided to take the issue to authorities.
Subsequently, he filed a complaint at the Ibrahimpatnam police station. The police swiftly detained the restaurant manager for questioning and initiated an investigation. The health and food safety officials may step in to conduct an inspection of the establishment and assess its hygiene practices.
This incident has sparked significant worries regarding food safety and hygiene in local dining establishments. Residents are calling on officials to carry out unannounced inspections at well-frequented restaurants to guarantee adherence to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India regulations.
There have been several incidents of lizards being found in food items served by restaurants in the city in the past. In December 2024 a restaurant came under scrutiny by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation after a resident in Amberpet, who ordered chicken biryani through Zomato, allegedly found a lizard. In December 2023, a case raising concerns about the unhygienic conditions of restaurants, at least eight people fell sick after eating biryani, in which they alleged a lizard’s tail was found.
