‘Zero-Tolerance For Law-Breakers’: Zomato Assures Customers After Delivery Boy Arrested In Kamlesh Tiwari Murder Case

With recent reports emerging that one of the two men detained in Kamlesh Tiwari murder case was a Zomato delivery boy, the online food delivery platform on Thursday (14 October) said that it has zero tolerance for anyone breaking the law and the guilty should be dealt with swiftly, reported Economic Times.

Near Rajasthan border, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Gujarat Police has arrested Moinuddinahmed Pathan and Ashfaq Hussain, the two alleged killers of Kamlesh Tiwari, with the former working as a delivery boy in Zomato.

According to police, the two accused killed the Hindu activist in response to what they deemed a statement against Mohammad, the Islamic prophet.

The social media users questioned Zomato and sought safety assurance from the company.

This is the second time in the year that Zomato has found itself in a difficult terrain on sensitive issues. Previously, Zomato was criticised for its Halal declaration and had to issue a clarification after virtue signalling about ‘Food has no religion’.

After the news broke about a Zomato delivery boy being involved in Kamlesh Tiwari murder, the company’s spokesperson issued a statement, acknowledging the fact.

"Our internal investigations have revealed that the said person had been on-boarded onto the Zomato platform on 17 August 2019, in Surat. Prior to his onboarding, a background check (including a check of his Aadaar card, driving license, PAN Card and past court records) had been carried out on him by an independent agency in which his background check was clear. Between that date and 6 October 2019, he had worked on and off as a delivery person on our platform. All his deliveries were in Surat as he was based there," the Zomato spokesperson said.

Stating that after 6 October, Pathan had ceased to work on Zomato of his own volition, the spokesperson said, "Delivery boys on the Zomato platform are independent freelancers".

In relation to the incident one of the social media user was reported saying that it is another reason for "not trusting Zomato, Swiggy, etc".