Latest news with #AnkitVaghela
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian restaurateur alleges police inaction after burglary at Southampton restaurant
After burglars broke into Padharo, a popular vegetarian restaurant in Southampton, late at night last week, stealing several bottles of expensive alcohol and cash, the owner, Ankit Vaghela, said police did not come to the scene despite an emergency call and instead asked him to email CCTV footage of the three suspects. Burglars broke into Padharo, a popular Southampton vegetarian restaurant, stealing cash and expensive alcohol.(X-@Go_Southampton) Vaghela reviewed the footage himself and found the cash register broken and left behind, but the cash missing. Some bottles from the bar were also smashed or stolen. 'It was very heartbreaking to be told that officers will be able to review the damage in three to five working days and that no forensics were available at the time,' news agency PTI quoted Vaghela as saying. 'There was glass everywhere. As a business, we can't afford to remain closed and had to get things cleaned up and the glass fixed. We are still struggling to operate smoothly without a proper cash register, which will take time, but are determined to welcome our guests with the same level of service we are known for in the city,' he added. Originally from Gujarat, Vaghela said a similar break-in happened around the same time last year when a burglar smashed through a different entrance but fled with injuries. 'It is extremely worrying and a safety concern as other businesses in the city centre have been similarly targeted. But we have to trust the process and hope for justice,' he said. The recent break-in came just days after the restaurant hosted players from the Indian women's cricket team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh, during their match against England. The local community has shown strong support following a social media post from the restaurant. 'Please be extra vigilant. We would hate for anyone else to go through this. But we are determined. We've spent the time cleaning up the mess, and we are back open. We refuse to let this define us. Now, more than ever, we're relying on our wonderful community,' Vaghela said. Hampshire Police, investigating the July 31 incident, said they take such cases seriously. 'Every deployment decision is based on informed risk assessments to make sure the most serious cases are prioritised, and officers are on scene where there is an immediate threat to life or a crime in action,' the police said. 'On this occasion, based on the initial information we were given regarding the offenders no longer being at the scene, our investigation could get underway without any immediate attendance. That investigation is progressing with lines of enquiry identified, such as CCTV, and we are in touch with the victim to provide them updates on our investigation,' the statement added. With PTI inputs
NDTV
2 days ago
- NDTV
How Indian-Origin Restaurant Owner In UK Played Detective After Burglary
Ankit Vaghela, restaurant owner in Southampton had to play detective after police failed to attend to a break-in at his business. His restaurant, called 'Padharo', is a popular vegetarian spot on East Street. The burglars broke in, stole expensive alcohol bottles and cash. When Vaghela dialled 999, the police helpline asked him to email the CCTV footage of the burglars. He decided to take matters into his own hands and retraced the steps of the intruders. On doing so, he recovered his broken cash register that was abandoned, along with some broken liquor bottles, on a nearby road. "It was very heartbreaking to be told that officers will be able to review the damage in three to five working days and that no forensics was available at the time," said Vaghela. He added, "There was glass everywhere. As a business, we can't afford to remain closed and had to get things cleaned up and the glass fixed. We are still struggling to operate smoothly without a proper cash register, which will take time, but are determined to welcome our guests with the same level of service we are known for in the city". The attack took place one year after a previous break-in. However, last time the intruder did not take anything apart from self-inflicted injuries. "It is extremely worrying and a safety concern as other businesses in the city centre have been similarly targeted. But we have to trust the process and hope for justice," he said. Later this month, the restaurant will celebrate their fourth anniversary. Just a few days before the intrusion, the award-winning restaurant hosted members of the Indian women's cricket team. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also present as the team was in town for an ODI match against England. Padharo posted about the incident on social media saying, "Please be extra vigilant. We would hate for anyone else to go through this. But we are determined. We've spent the time cleaning up the mess, and we are back open. We refuse to let this define us. Now, more than ever, we're relying on our wonderful community." Hampshire police is still investigating the case, and in a statement said that they did not "underestimate" the impact on victims. They added, "On this occasion, based on the initial information we were given regarding the offenders no longer being at the scene, our investigation could get underway without any immediate attendance."
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Indian restaurateur tracks own burglary after police delay in UK's Southampton
When burglars smashed into his Southampton restaurant and the police didn't show up, Ankit Vaghela decided to play detective. The owner of Padharo, a popular vegetarian spot on East Street, retraced the thieves' steps, recovered his broken cash register — without the cash — and surveyed the mess of shattered glass himself.'It was very heartbreaking to be told that officers will be able to review the damage in three to five working days and that no forensics was available at the time,' said Vaghela, who is set to mark Padharo's fourth anniversary later this late-night break-in on July 31 left the Gujarati-born restaurateur with several bottles of expensive alcohol missing, smashed liquor bottles on the floor, and no working cash register. CCTV footage showed three intruders smashing their way inside before fleeing. 'As a business, we can't afford to remain closed and had to get things cleaned up and the glass fixed. We are still struggling to operate smoothly without a proper cash register, but are determined to welcome our guests with the same level of service we are known for in the city,' he burglary came almost exactly a year after a previous break-in, when an intruder fled with nothing but self-inflicted injuries. 'It is extremely worrying and a safety concern as other businesses in the city centre have been similarly targeted. But we have to trust the process and hope for justice,' he incident also came just days after the award-winning restaurant hosted members of the Indian women's cricket team, including captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who were in town for an ODI match against communities have rallied around since Padharo posted about the crime on social media. 'Please be extra vigilant. We would hate for anyone else to go through this. But we are determined. We've spent the time cleaning up the mess, and we are back open. We refuse to let this define us. Now, more than ever, we're relying on our wonderful community,' read the Police confirmed it is investigating the burglary. In a statement, the force said it did not 'underestimate' the impact on victims and prioritises cases based on the threat to life or crimes in progress.'On this occasion, based on the initial information we were given regarding the offenders no longer being at the scene, our investigation could get underway without any immediate attendance,' the statement said. - EndsWith inputs from PTITrending Reel
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
'It was heartbreaking': Indian-origin restaurant owner in UK turns detective after vandalism, cops told him to 'email evidence'
The Indian-origin owner of the UK restaurant was told to email evidence to the police after he reported a burglary. Ankit Vaghela, an Indian-origin restaurant owner in Southampton, was told by the police that they could not come to his 'Padharo' when he called 999 to report a break-in. The vandals broke in and fled with several bottles of expensive alcohol and cash but the police helpline asked them to email the CCTV footage of the three burglars who broke in last week. Vaghela decided to get proactive and review the footage first. He discovered his cash register without the cash, abandoned along with some smashed liquor bottles strewn on a nearby road. 'It was very heartbreaking to be told that officers will be able to review the damage in three to five working days and that no forensics was available at the time,' said Vaghela. 'There was glass everywhere. As a business, we can't afford to remain closed and had to get things cleaned up and the glass fixed. We are still struggling to operate smoothly without a proper cash register, which will take time, but are determined to welcome our guests with the same level of service we are known for in the city,' he said. The Hampshire Police said they did not underestimate the July 31 case but they understood that their investigation could start without their immediate attendance at the site, as the offenders were not there. 'Every deployment decision is based on informed risk assessments to make sure the most serious cases are prioritised, and officers are on scene where there is an immediate threat to life or a crime in action,' the police force said in a statement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Become Fluent in Any Language Talkpal AI Undo 'On this occasion, based on the initial information we were given regarding the offenders no longer being at the scene, our investigation could get underway without any immediate attendance. That investigation is progressing with lines of enquiry identified, such as CCTV, and we are in touch with the victim to provide them updates on our investigation,' added the statement, along with an appeal to the public for any information related to the burglary. "It means nothing now, the damage is done. Officers were not willing to visit the restaurant," Vaghela told to local news outlets.
News18
3 days ago
- News18
Indian restaurateur left to track own burglary in UKs Southampton
Agency: PTI London, Aug 8 (PTI) The owner of Padharo, a popular vegetarian restaurant in the port city of Southampton, on Friday relived how he was left to retrace the steps of burglars who broke in and fled with several bottles of expensive alcohol and cash as police officers failed to attend the scene after an emergency call. Ankit Vaghela, who is preparing to mark Padharo's fourth anniversary on England's south coast later this month, said he and his staff were left heartbroken on being told to email CCTV footage of the three burglars who smashed their way into the deserted premises late at night last week. Reviewing the footage himself, the restaurateur decided to get proactive and discovered his broken and abandoned cash register, minus the cash, and some smashed bottles of the liquor stolen from the bar. 'It was very heartbreaking to be told that officers will be able to review the damage in three to five working days and that no forensics was available at the time," said Vaghela. 'There was glass everywhere. As a business, we can't afford to remain closed and had to get things cleaned up and the glass fixed. We are still struggling to operate smoothly without a proper cash register, which will take time, but are determined to welcome our guests with the same level of service we are known for in the city," he said. Vaghela, originally from Gujarat, suffered a similar break-in around the same time last year when a burglar smashed through a different entrance but fled only with self-inflicted injuries. 'It is extremely worrying and a safety concern as other businesses in the city centre have been similarly targeted. But we have to trust the process and hope for justice," he said. Last week's break-in came just days after the award-winning restaurant on East Street welcomed players of the Indian women's cricket team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh, in Southampton for their One-Day International (ODI) match against the England team. The community has since rallied around to express their support after a post on the restaurant's social media pages alerted other businesses in the area. 'Please be extra vigilant. We would hate for anyone else to go through this. But we are determined. We've spent the time cleaning up the mess, and we are back open. We refuse to let this define us. Now, more than ever, we're relying on our wonderful community," reads the appeal. Hampshire Police, which is investigating the July 31 incident, said it did not 'underestimate" the impact business burglaries have on victims and take such cases seriously when reported. 'Every deployment decision is based on informed risk assessments to make sure the most serious cases are prioritised, and officers are on scene where there is an immediate threat to life or a crime in action," the police force said in a statement. 'On this occasion, based on the initial information we were given regarding the offenders no longer being at the scene, our investigation could get underway without any immediate attendance. That investigation is progressing with lines of enquiry identified, such as CCTV, and we are in touch with the victim to provide them updates on our investigation," added the statement, along with an appeal to the public for any information related to the burglary. PTI AK RD RD view comments First Published: August 08, 2025, 18:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
