Deliveroo driver suspended as kitten ‘taken’ during delivery

On Saturday March 28, Mohammed Khalid reported that his kitten was missing from his home in Banbury.

This happened in the evening when his neighbour was receiving a Deliveroo delivery with doorbell footage showing the cat inside the man’s car.

The British Shorthair cross Bengal cat, called Medina, is just over six months old but is allowed outside, often retuning to the home in the evening.

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She is also chipped.

Mr Khalid said: “My next-door neighbour came over in tears and said your cat has been stolen.”

He said that the neighbour explained that the driver had been curious about the cat and had taken pictures of it, after making his delivery.

Deliveroo has launched an investigation after Medina, a kitten in Banbury, went missing (Image: Mohammed Khalid)

Following that the cat was not seen by the family for another two days during which Mr Khalid’s children were reportedly “distraught”.

He said: “It is another kid for me. It is another member of the family that has been taken. It is like a kidnapping for us.

Deliveroo rider in uniform (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)

“Everyone is very upset about it. Even my neighbour is sending messages about it. She is apologising to me, but it is not her fault.”

Thames Valley Police declined to make a formal statement on the incident but did confirm the theft of a cat had been reported.

Mr Khalid added that his children struggled to sleep while the cat was missing but, on the afternoon of Monday, March 30, Medina was found in another part of Banbury.

He said: “Someone has found her scared, hiding, tired and hungry in their garden.”

Deliveroo has launched an investigation after Medina, a kitten in Banbury, went missing (Image: Mohammed Khalid)

Commenting on the incident, a Deliveroo spokesperson said: “We are investigating these reports with urgency and will support the police however we can.” 

They are speaking to their courier who has been temporarily suspended from his work, and they have requested an urgent account of what happened.

Deliveroo added that it expects its couriers to behave professionally and follow the law at all times and if they are discovered to have committed any kind of criminal act, their contract would be terminated.

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Based in London, Deliveroo has a team of around 4,000 people with its couriers being contracted and technically self-employed.

The business works with around 182,000 restaurants, grocers and retailers says a report from The Times, delivering hot meals and groceries.

According to 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), around 250,000 people work as “delivery drivers and couriers” in Britain.