Curry house mystery finally solved after diner comes forward

The mystery of a man who was apparently spotted enjoying a curry nine years after his death has been solved once and for all – and no, it has nothing to do with time travel.

As is often the case, the reality is far less mystifying.

Ever since 59-year-old Lucy Watson shared the unbelievable discovery on Facebook, Indian restaurant Spice Cottage in Westbourne, West Sussex, has been inundated with queries about the mystery man.

Lucy said there was 'no doubt in her mind' that the man enjoying a spot of butter chicken and naan bread was Harry, who died in 2014.

As you will have gathered by now, it's none of the above.

A new twist in the ongoing saga has finally put the whole thing to bed, as the real diner has come forward.

The man in the video wasn't Harry, after all. It was actually 67-year-old Alan Harding – who is definitely alive and kicking.

Spice Cottage took to Facebook last night (30 January) to confirm the news with a delightfully pun-filled post.

Alongside photographic evidence, owners Bodrul and Rofiqul Islam wrote: "We have a ghee mattar we would like to close.

"The photo below is our customer that was captured in one of our recent promo video. We can confirm he is not Lucy’s husband.

"As much as we wish our curries bring people out of kormas, unfortunately this was not the case."

They went on to thank everyone for their ongoing interest in the case, adding: "Our video has spread through all corners of the world, and it has been a pleasure of meeting the customers who have cumin this week!

"If you are ever in the village of Westbourne, please pop in, theres never a dhall moment in our restaurant."

Case closed.

When she accused the restaurant of lying, the owners pointed out the restaurant had recently been refurbished, with the updates visible in the video.

They explained: "The refurbishment was completed in early January 2023 and the promotional video highlights these changes.

"Before January 2023, all of our tables were covered by white and red cloths, henceforth it is evident this footage is recent.

"This is a very unusual situation and we hope this clarifies any confusion."

Alex admitted that the Facebook comments proved people were 'really intrigued' about the mystery and 'really want to know the answers', but he didn't have any juicy details to offer – it was simply a mistake.

"The answer is that it's not my dad – that's it," he said.

Alex went on to say he felt 'sorry' for the restaurant for the attention, although clearly Bodrul and Rofiqul are happy about the increased interest in their established.

All publicity is good publicity, even if it does involved a ghostly diner.