The owner of the famous “Baba Ka Dhaba” in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, Kanta Prasad (80), was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday night following a suicide bid, police said. Police, however, didn’t confirm that Prasad attempted to end his life. Kanta Prasad had consumed alcohol and sleeping pills and the hospital said in its report that he was unconscious. A statement by his son Karan said that his father had taken alcohol and sleeping pills. Police have launched a further probe.
The development comes just a week after it was reported that he had shut down the new restaurant that he had opened in Malviya Nagar last year using the donation money. He had to close the restaurant due to heavy losses. Prasad returned to his old eatery, from where he had shot to fame.
Kanta Prasad’s wife Badami Devi told cops that he has been depressed for the past several days. She also informed them that the couple had to close down a restaurant recently which they had started. The cost of running the restaurant was around 1 lakh while his income was only about Rs 30,000, owing to this, they had to shut down the restaurant and came back to their old roadside stall in Malviya Nagar.
YouTuber Gaurav Wasan had highlighted the poor condition of Kanta Prasad (80) and his wife Badaami Devi’s eatery through a viral video last year, following which, he got overnight fame and was able to open a new restaurant and was also able to settle all his debts and buy smartphones for himself and the family. Prasad came into the spotlight last year when a post on social media showing him crying because of his financial woes became viral, provoking overwhelming support in cash and in-kind.
owever, Prasad had later filed a cheating complaint against Wasan and his associates for allegedly misappropriating the money he received in the donation. He alleged that Wasan intentionally and deliberately shared only his and his family/friends bank details and mobile numbers with the donors and collected a huge amount of donation through different mode of payments i.e bank account/wallets without providing any information to the complainant”.
Wasan refuted all allegations of fraud and also produced bank statements to prove transactions to Prasad’s bank account. The video was shared thousands of times on social media and several celebrities joined the appeal to urge Delhi residents to support Kanta Prasad. Baba ka Dhaba was soon flooded by customers.
Recently, Kanta Prasad had also issued an apology to Wasan. In an Instagram video that has gone viral now, Prasad, with folded hands, says that Gaurav Wasan (YouTuber) was neither a thief and nor did he claim that he was one. Prasad further adds that he was in the wrong for saying, “I made a mistake by saying ‘I didn’t call him but he approached us himself,’ I’d like to apologise.”
