Three people from Manipur and Mizoram working at a bar in a Chennai hotel have alleged the management kept them in illegal confinement over allegations of theft. They said the management did not let them go after their work hours on Saturday.
The Chennai Police said the waiters alleged the management accused them of stealing Rs 1.5 lakh, held them captive, and thrashed them.
The hotel’s management has denied the allegations, and claimed the waiters swindled the money, police sources said.
The waiters told the police they would accept payments from customers on their personal Google Pay accounts whenever the hotel’s card payment system failed. They said they would then transfer the money to the hotel after deducting 10 per cent as tip – a common practice in the hotel for a long time.
Both sides have filed police complaints.
“The waiters worked at Ignite Bar attached to Chennai Gateway. We are investigating. We are awaiting bank statements to verify the allegations. No one has been arrested yet,” a police officer told NDTV.
One of the three has been working at the hotel for four years, another for a year, and one had joined four months ago, the police said.
The alleged illegal confinement came to light after social worker Dr Aiswarya Rao posted on X about it. The Chennai Police sent a team to the hotel soon. “Appropriate action will be taken based on investigation,” the police posted on X. “It was about alleged cheating by the staff working in the above place. Police are enquiring,” the Greater Chennai Police said.
Despite several attempts, NDTV could not speak directly to the waiters or the hotel management.
