Grammy winner Ricky Kej alleges theft by Zomato-linked delivery man, shares CCTV video: 'Quite bold...'

As of now, no official confirmation has been issued regarding the identity of the suspect or whether a formal complaint has been registered.

Grammy-winning composer and Padma Shri awardee Ricky Kej has alleged that a food delivery agent associated with Zomato trespassed into his residence in Bengaluru and stole a sump-cover from his property. The incident was publicly flagged by Kej on X on December 12, along with CCTV footage and photographs of the alleged suspect.

In his post, Kej claimed that the incident took place on Thursday at around 6 pm. He alleged that the delivery agent first visited the premises approximately 15 minutes before the theft, which he described as a reconnaissance visit, and later returned to enter the property and remove the sump-cover.

Kej stated that the act was captured on CCTV cameras installed at his residence, with footage available from two different angles. He also shared screenshots showing the individual’s face and the vehicle allegedly used in the incident. According to Kej, the vehicle appeared to be a red Honda Activa bearing the registration number KA03HY8751.

“I was robbed,” Kej wrote in his post, tagging Zomato, its customer care handle, and multiple Bengaluru and Karnataka police officials. He further alleged that the act appeared deliberate and questioned whether this may not have been the individual’s first such offence. Urging caution, Kej asked residents to remain vigilant, stating that similar incidents could potentially occur elsewhere.

I was robbed! Dear @zomato@zomatocare, looks like one of your drivers entered my home on Thursday and stole our sump-cover. This was at 6 o'clock in the evening.. Quite bold of them! This is probably not their first time. They came in just 15 min earlier for a recce, and then… pic.twitter.com/ZpCe9NERYH

— Ricky Kej (@rickykej) December 13, 2025

Responding publicly to the post, Zomato acknowledged the complaint and said it did not condone such conduct from its delivery partners. “This is really concerning, and we certainly don't encourage such behaviour from our delivery partners,” the company said. Zomato added that it would investigate the matter and requested Kej to share his mobile number via direct message so that the company could connect with him for further action.

The Bengaluru City Police also responded to the post, asking Kej to provide details of the incident location and his contact number through direct message. Several senior police handles were tagged in the original post, including the Commissioner of Police and district police accounts.

As of now, no official confirmation has been issued regarding the identity of the suspect or whether a formal complaint has been registered. It remains unclear if the individual involved was an active delivery agent at the time of the alleged incident.

The incident has triggered discussion on social media around safety, background verification of delivery personnel, and the responsibilities of platform-based companies operating in residential neighbourhoods.

Ricky Kej is an internationally recognised Indian composer, music producer and environmentalist based in Bengaluru. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner and was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contributions to music. Kej is known for his work in environmental music and has collaborated with global institutions including the United Nations. He has also represented India at several international forums focusing on climate change and sustainability.