MUMBAI: An afternoon meal on Monday at a famous global pizza chain located in a Vashi Mall turned out to be a horrid experience for Dombivali resident Avinash Pai after he was allegedly served water that seemed to have been contaminated with dishwashing detergent.

Pai registered a police complaint with Vashi police station for being threatened and being served contaminated water. He has filed a written complaint with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well.

"I had gone to Pizza Hut on Monday for lunch at Inorbit Mall, Vashi. I was served water after finishing my lunch around 2.20 pm or so. I felt nauseated as soon as I drank it. The water served in the glass was not only foul smelling but extremely pungent and bitter. While I had gulped down some quantity, I spat the rest out as my mouth turned foul with the taste and questioned the waiter, who said that the water might have been served from a jar containing lemonade," Pai said.

He added that the lame excuse irked him further and he demanded an answer to what he was served and asked for someone senior to get clarity as it was a question of his health. "A floor manager who identified himself as Savio came to me and after some discussions, smelled the water and tried to convince me that it was nothing but later told me that the dishwashing detergent might have gotten mixed by mistake and refused to clarify on what was actually served. I asked him to show me the bottle of that detergent to understand the contents but he flatly refused," Pai said, adding that he decided to call the police and soon a constable reached the outlet. What further shocked Pai was after the constable's arrival, the floor manager gave me the phone to speak to someone.

"That man on the phone simply started talking rudely to me and claimed that I had complained previously as well and even threatened me. I finally went to the Vashi police station with the sample of the water that the constable had poured into a bottle and the cops registered a NC and told me that I would have to complain to the FDA," Pai said.

He was further confused after being told by a senior staff, who was called at the police station, that the person with whom he spoke over the phone was from "legal side".

Pai emailed a complaint to FDA on Tuesday. He said that he was being directed to food inspector who would take the complaint to pursue his case against gross negligence by such a famous pizza chain.

"I was extremely disappointed with the way they dealt with the mistake they had committed. I was told later that the liquid was Suma Bac but I was not shown what I had been served," Pai said.

In an email response, a Pizza Hut spokesperson said, "We at Pizza Hut would like to reiterate our commitment to the quality of our products and the well being of our customers. We maintain high quality and hygiene standards to ensure food safety at all stages of preparation including measures to ensure that the utensils and food products are clean and perfect for usage. As a responsible brand we truly value our customers and take all essential measures for their well being. We are investigating the matter."