Exclusive restaurant popular with Bollywood celebs ‘served top banker dead RAT’ before chef and manager arrested

A TOP banker claims he was served a dead rat at an exclusive restaurant adored by India's rich and famous.

Anurag Dilip Singh allegedly found the vermin nestled among his chicken and mutton curry while dining at Papa Pancho the Dhaba.

The 40-year-old claims he fished a rat - with its tail still intact - out of his dish of bhuna gosht and chicken dhaba in Mumbai on Sunday.

He snapped a stomach-churning image of the unwelcome addition to his meal after scooping it out of the bowl and onto his serving plate.

It appears to show a small dead rat drenched in red sauce - that the banker says he initially believed was a dodgy piece of chicken.

Singh had been dining with his pal Amin Khan, 40, when he stumbled across the unpleasant surprise at the trendy Punjabi eatery.

The pair said they immediately complained to the manager of the restaurant in the city's exclusive Pali Naka neighbourhood.

But they claim they weren't given the same treatment as the Bollywood stars who flock there, saying the boss instead brushed off their complaint.

Infuriated by their response, Singh then took his complaint to officers at Bandra Police Station the following day.

Cops said they arrested two workers at the Papa Pancho the Dhaba, the manager of the establishment as well as the head chef.

The pair were booked under sections 272 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 336 (act endangering the life or personal safety of others), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, according to local media.

Bandra police senior inspector Sanjay Marathe said: "The food plate in which the rat piece was found has been sent to the Food and Drug Administration for examination."

However, the team at the esteemed restaurant denied any wrongdoing and insisted the diner was drunk and disgruntled.

Devraj Gore, a lawyer for Papa Pancho the Dhaba, alleged that the two customers were boozed up throughout their visit.

He claimed they had almost polished off their meal when they raised the alarm about the rat.

Gore claimed Singh and Khan had "tried to extort money" and only approached authorities after they were unsuccessful.

He added: "This has been done to tarnish the restaurant's reputation which has not faced any complaint in 22 years."

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.