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7 months ago
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A gang of 20 accused of stealing almost £300 worth of food in a 'dine and dash' from an Indian restaurant have been tracked down by MailOnline to a local park an hour from the restaurant.
The mass theft at Exeter's Tamarind Bay restaurant left the distraught owners £270 out of pocket.
Manager Saiful Rahman shared CCTV photos of cars and vans used by a group of travellers who gorged themselves on curry, chips and naan bread with chutneys washed down with Cobra beer, Coca Cola and Fanta.
After he posted details on Facebook and contacted the police, the shameless group even contacted Mr Rahman to demand he take it down - but are still yet to pay.
Now MailOnline can reveal the group has set up camp 50 miles away in a public park in Yeovil, Somerset.
A gang of 20 accused of stealing almost £300 worth of food in a 'dine and dash' from an Indian restaurant have been tracked down to a local park where they have set up their caravans
Caravans surrounded by gas canisters, cars and a woodchipper are are in the makeshift camp at a public park in Yeovil
A Land Rover is parked alongside caravans while three men sit on patio furniture. The silver Land Rover was one of the getaway vehicles used in the dine and dash scam
A silver Land Rover, a white Citroen van and a white Ford which Mr Rahman said belonged to the gang were clearly visible in Yew Tree Park, next to caravans, work vans, a wood chipper, kids' bikes and a barbecue while three men sat on patio furniture outside one of the caravans.
One local resident said: 'They arrived earlier this week and don't seem to have a care in the world, clearly they aren't worried about the police catching them. It's just shameless.'
Describing the theft on Tuesday evening at 7pm, Mr Rahman said he had seen many 'dine and dash' incidents in his 17 years running restaurants, but said this one 'takes the biscuit'.He said: 'We have never experienced a mass exodus. It was actually shocking.
'I have experience with travellers and I could tell they were from their vehicles, their accents, the way they spoke and how they acted.
'We served them because we don't discriminate.
'We didn't ask for an upfront payment as from experience this would have caused a fuss with them saying we are discriminating against them when other groups of people aren't asked to.'
He said that one man with his family of four, including two children, suddenly got up saying he was going to buy a birthday cake from the table next to them from the Tesco across the road.
Waiters realised the excuse was part of the scam after they were followed by two other tables in the group.
The Indian restaurant Tamarind Bay in Exeter where the party of 20 ordered curries and naan as well as several bottles of fizzy pop and beers before fleeing, leaving behind a £270 bill
A white Citroen van used to flee the restaurant after the group refused to pay for their meal. The same van was tracked down to the traveller camp site 50 miles away
The thieves enjoyed a large meal of curries, naans and chips before walking out without settling the £270 bill
The group also got through dozens of drinks including beers and Coca Cola, pictured above
In an attempt to stop the cheapskates from running off without paying, waiters tried to chase them down as they got into their vehicles and drove off towards Exeter city centre.
The families ignored requests for payments, leaving behind a huge mess when they brazenly walked out of the restaurant.
Mr Rahman said he had reported the incident to the police, but was told that as the diners had left it was classed as a 'non emergency'.
He said: 'I couldn't believe the sheer audacity. It seemed very well constructed and we had to clean up the mess they left behind. What happened is a big deal because bars, restaurants and cages are struggling, so I want some justice.'
After it was reported in the media Mr Rahman revealed a member of the group contacted him to demand he remove the post.He said: 'One of them has been in contact, he wants the post down, that means they all know about it.
'The police are on the case; we will have to see what happens.'
A police spokesman said: 'Police are aware of an incident where is it alleged that a group of people left Tamarind Bay restaurant, Exeter, without paying their bill on the evening of Tuesday 23 April.
'Enquiries continue into this matter. Anyone with any information that could assist the police is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 50240097061.'
But Mr Rahman is not alone in his frustration and this incident is just the latest case in an epidemic of dining and dashing.
Last week an Italian restaurant was left empty handed after a family 'dined-and dashed' after racking up a £329 bill.
Staff at the Bella Ciao Italian restaurant in Port Talbot, just west of Swansea, say the family-of-eight left the establishment without paying for their costly meal on Friday evening.
The diners ordered expensive steaks, double desserts and 15 bottles of pop, but started to send back a number of half empty plates, which raised eyebrows among staff members.
Some people have taken matters into their own hands as emboldened thieves refuse to pay for restaurant bills.
In frustration at a suspected serial 'dine-and-dash' couple who have been chased over a string of 'food thefts' at struggling restaurants, their windows were smashed by a masked gang, MailOnline can reveal.
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