What a curry on for would-be thief

Callum Brodie • Published 28 Nov 2008 14:00 0 Comments

Indian restaurant staff having 'naan' of it as they foil youth

STAFF at a new Indian restaurant in Datchet have dished out a message to potential thieves after foiling the efforts of a would-be burglar.

The Zaman restaurant had only been open for business for a month before an opportunist thief targeted the premises on Horton Road during a busy Saturday evening shift.

Luckily a state-of-the-art CCTV system had recently been installed, which provides a live feed to those with access anywhere in the world.

The head chef's son, at home several miles away, had been watching his dad at work when he noticed a young crook breaking into the storage shed which contains the restaurant's supply of drink.

After receiving a call from his son quick-thinking chef, Shahid Zaman, whipped out his tandoor spatula, that he had been using to cook Naan bread, and rushed out to confront the thief.

Restaurant owner Ali Wahid, explained: "My brother is the head chef and his son had decided to log on to our CCTV when he noticed something suspicious. Half of the kitchen staff and waiters followed Shahid out to investigate and found a young lad holding a bottle of Sambuca and a Tia Maria in each hand.

"There was another lad who was acting as the lookout and when we prevented them from leaving until the police arrived they started to get lippy. The police were on the scene within ten minutes and I'd like to thank them for arriving so promptly."

As the drama unfolded outside diners at the packed restaurant continued to tuck into their meals with the remaining kitchen staff ensuring that regular service was maintained.

Head chef Shahid Zaman, said: "We should be very vigilant this Christmas, whether burglars are interested in flaming Sambuca or Christmas gifts. We want to convey the message that crime doesn't pay and after this incident hopefully potential thieves will think twice, basically when it comes to burglary the staff at Zaman are having ‘naan' of it."

A 16 year-old male has been bailed and will appear in court on December 2 after being arrested for burglary of a non-dwelling at around 7pm at the premises on November 15.

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 28 Nov 08

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