Florida Man Accused of Cruel Restaurant Prank

NJ police say Sudeep Khetani placed big orders, never intended to pay or pick up
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 13, 2020 7:36 AM CDT
Updated Apr 18, 2020 2:00 PM CDT
Florida Man Accused of Cruel Pizza Scam
   (Getty Images)

As if restaurants needed any more hurt these days: New Jersey police say a Florida man enacted a cruel scam on more than a dozen restaurants in the state. Sudeep Khetani, 34, is accused of calling pizzerias and restaurants and placing hefty orders that totaled several thousand dollars. "Each time he indicated he would pick up the order or it was intended for local police," reads a press release from the South Brunswick Township Police Department. Instead, the orders would go uncollected—and not paid for. NJ.com reports that a number of the bogus orders were placed at businesses that had previously donated food to police and area hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

Authorities say they were able to find the phone number Khetani was calling from despite his use of a program designed to mask your number, but he has yet to be located. NBC News reports he's thought to be near Orlando. "In several of the follow-up calls the pizzerias made to the phone number that placed the order, Khetani would make statements about Italians and wished they would be affected with the coronavirus," police said. He's been charged with theft thus far. The Bridgewater Courier News reports Khetani, who is formerly of South Brunswick, is on probation in Florida for selling bogus Disney World tickets. (More weird crimes stories.)

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