Bengaluru: Valets crash Mercedes during reel stunt, restaurant accused of cover-up

What was meant to be a family lunch turned into a nightmare for Bengaluru resident Divya Chhabra after her brand-new Rs 1.4 crore Mercedes Benz was wrecked by valets allegedly misusing the vehicle to shoot instagram reels. The incident occurred at The Big Barbecue restaurant in Marathahalli. Chhabra handed over her car keys to a valet, but 45 minutes later, the car was found crashed into a basement wall. Before she could inspect the scene, restaurant staff reportedly removed the debris, raising suspicions of a cover-up. 

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Chhabra later revealed that the person who drove the car, Abdulla Laskar, lacked a valid driver’s licence and had used a fake one to get the job. RTO verification confirmed inconsistencies in the licence details, showing it couldn’t possibly belong to Laskar. Of the three valets involved, only one held a valid licence. Insurance investigators backed these findings and even recovered the video the valets shot with the car.

Chhabra also accused the restaurant of misleading police by producing a false driver and creating a fake contract with a third-party valet service after the incident. She claimed the restaurant’s owner tried to suppress the case by petitioning the High Court to quash the FIRs. The car's repairs are expected to cost Rs 20 lakh, and the insurance claim is still pending.