Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Customer Complaint Prompts Meat Testing At Cuttack Restaurant
A customer named Smruti Ranjan Mohanty ate lunch with his family at a restaurant in Cuttack.
He ordered mutton but thought the meat looked and tasted different.
He noticed a reddish bone in the curry.
Restaurant workers said vinegar had changed the color while the meat was being cooked.
The customer was not satisfied with that explanation.
He complained to the police because he wanted to know what meat he had eaten.
Police took the meat and sent a sample to a laboratory.
The test results will help determine what happened.
Smruti Ranjan Mohanty alleged a restaurant served him meat different from the mutton he ordered.
He said the curry had a different taste and a reddish bone.
Restaurant employees reportedly attributed the color to vinegar used while boiling a large quantity of mutton.
Mohanty filed a complaint at Jagatpur police station after rejecting the explanation.
Police registered an FIR, seized the meat, and sent a sample to a laboratory for testing.
- Who
- Customer Smruti Ranjan Mohanty complained about a restaurant; Jagatpur police are investigating.
- What
- He suspected beef or another meat was served instead of the mutton he ordered.
- When
- The meal was eaten on Wednesday, and the complaint was reported on Thursday, September 24.
- Where
- A restaurant in the Jagatpur area of Cuttack district, Odisha, and Jagatpur police station.
- Why
- Mohanty wanted testing to determine whether he was served mutton or another type of meat.
Customer's Suspicion
Restaurant's Explanation
Identity and appearance of the meat
Customer's Suspicion
Mohanty said the curry had a different taste and a reddish bone that did not appear to be mutton, leading him to suspect beef or another meat.
Restaurant's Explanation
Restaurant employees said the reddish color resulted from using vinegar to properly boil a large quantity of mutton.
Need for verification
Customer's Suspicion
Mohanty was not satisfied with the staff's answer and asked authorities to establish what meat he had eaten.
Restaurant's Explanation
The restaurant staff's explanation is being assessed through police seizure and laboratory testing; the report had not yet established the meat's identity.
- Customer
- Smruti Ranjan Mohanty
- Location
- Jagatpur area, Cuttack district
- Complaint
- Suspected beef or other meat was served instead of ordered mutton
- Restaurant explanation
- Vinegar was used to boil a large quantity of mutton, allegedly causing a reddish color
- Police action
- An FIR was registered and the meat was seized
- Testing
- The sample was consulted on with a veterinary doctor and sent to a laboratory
- Status
- Further action will follow the laboratory report