A family was horrified to discover a dead rat in their meal from an Indian restaurant.

Jyoti Konde and eight friends were dining at the Purple Butterfly restaurant in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, on March 8 to celebrate International Women's Day.

The group recalled that they were enjoying their meal when one of them spotted a dead mouse pup in her Manchurian dish.

They immediately confronted the manager, who initially denied the allegation but eventually apologised after being questioned.

The customers then inspected the kitchen and found the workstation in an extremely unsanitary state. They documented evidence, which was later submitted to the Rabale Police.

Authorities confirmed that a complaint had been filed against the restaurant's manager, owner, and employees.

The Food and Drug Administration, along with law enforcement officials, immediately conducted an inspection of the premises.

The complaint was lodged under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, as well as Section 125 of the BNS, which pertains to actions endangering human life or safety due to negligence.

Earlier this month, dozens of large rodents were spotted scurrying across a coffee table in the children's ward of a hospital in Madhya Pradesh, just inches away from a sleeping patient.

On June 20 last year, diners at Devi Dosa Palace in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, were shocked to find a small, deceased rodent in a bowl of sambar.

India faces significant rat infestations and hygiene challenges, particularly in urban areas where poor waste management and overcrowding create ideal conditions for rodents to thrive. These issues not only pose health risks, such as food contamination and disease outbreaks, but also impact businesses, including restaurants, which struggle to maintain sanitary conditions amid infrastructural shortcomings.