YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, aka Flying Beast, shared a video of a watermelon bought on the roadside foaming heavily for several hours after being cut open. The YouTuber shared that the watermelon was bought the night before from a local fruit vendor.
This comes weeks after the mysterious deaths of four members of a family in south Mumbai sparked panic and speculation over contaminated watermelons.
“Zeer came out of the watermelon!” Taneja said in the viral video.
Tanjea shared that his wife Ritu had bought watermelons the night before but had left them on the kitchen counter due to lack of space in the fridge.
However, when she cut the watermelon in the morning, it foamed. He also shared that the fruit foamed for hours. “Jaise kisi ko zeher dete hain…” he said.
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Netizens react:
Already fearful of watermelons due to the Mumbai case, social media users demanded strict checks on street vendors.
Sharing Taneja’s experience, the netizen called it a “shocking incident” and said, “YouTuber Flying Beast bought a watermelon from a roadside vendor. After cutting it open, foam started coming out of the watermelon continuously.”
“Big food apps are monitored by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). But who checks these roadside fruit vendors? No expiry date. No quality control. No testing,” the user argued. “And millions of people eat these fruits every day and think they are ‘healthy’.”
“India seriously needs strict food control even at local street vendors,” said a netizen.
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However, many users also claimed that the foaming was the result of natural fermentation, where bacteria break down the fruit’s sugars into gas and foam, often accelerated by heat and overripeness, making the melon dangerous but not necessarily chemically adulterated.
“Man, we’ve been surviving on these street vendors for years. Not all things need verification and approval all the time,” the user said.
Another added: “Just a ripe watermelon. This foam is caused by fermentation. What is happening to our youth? Why are they always in a state of panic?”
“What does natural rot have to do with FSSAI? The flying beast does it all just for looks,” said one netizen.
“How can one tell if the fruit is good or bad without opening it. It’s normal in this scorching heat. It’s happened many times even when bought from big retailers with stock,” added another.
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Death of a family in Mumbai
The Dokadia family hosted relatives at their residence and hours after they left, the family of four – Abdulla Dokadia, his wife and two daughters – were said to have consumed pieces of watermelon around 1am. A few hours later, they were taken to hospital due to severe vomiting and diarrhea and died during treatment.
Their deaths caused widespread concern in Mumbai after initial reports linked the incident to the consumption of watermelon.
However, according to recent reports, investigators have found traces of zinc phosphide, a highly toxic chemical commonly used in rat poison, in samples taken from deceased family members. “The watermelon sample also tested positive for zinc phosphide, while all other foods were negative.”
The official said it was unclear whether the rat poison was accidentally (or intentionally) consumed. “So far we have not found any compelling reason why the entire family would take such an extreme step.”
