UK couple ate meals worth Rs 1 lakh at 5 restaurants, didn't pay bills, arrested

A couple in the United Kingdom was arrested and charged with five counts of fraud after several restaurant owners reported the couple ordered large meals and left without paying.

According to a report with the Metro, the couple from Sandfields in Port Talbot (Wales), ate free meals across five restaurants, totalling over £1,000 (approximately Rs 1,04,170.50 in Indian currency).

Identified as 39-year-old Ann McDonagh and 41-year-old Bernard McDonagh, the couple is presently in police custody and will head for a court hearing next month over crimes at restaurants in a 30-mile radius. Ann McDonagh has also been charged with four counts of theft.

The incident came to light after restaurant owners posted the couple's CCTV footage on social media, asking the public to help them identify the couple.

According to the report, the restaurant owners and managers said they had approached the police, but received a response, saying they "did not view the calls as an emergency".

One of the restaurant owners, in the social media post, said after ordering and eating large meals, four group members would quickly exit, leaving behind Ann McDonagh and a small child to "pay" the bill.

"The woman tried to pay with a card which was declined. She said she would get another card from the car. We asked the boy to stay and wait for her in the restaurant. She left, and 10 seconds later, the boy started to run to the car," the restaurant claimed.

Meanwhile, the South Wales Police said an investigation into the matter was underway, the report said.