Tamil Nadu influencer gets ₹1.69 lakh TV, fridge as 'Diwali gifts'; but it says 'stop placing orders' - here's why

Veeramani, a resident of Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu, was bombarded with expensive gifts delivered to his doorstep, but there was a catch: they were all cash on delivery (COD) orders. A social media influencer from Madurai, known for his humor, asked for boxes of sweets ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, and shared his contact number along with his address on social media.

His followers took his request seriously but decided to comply. Instead of sending candy, they flooded his doorstep with cash on delivery orders in his name.

Deliveries from Amazon and Flipkart have started arriving with refrigerators, washing machines, smartphones and televisions.

Veeramani did not have any goods delivered to his door and he had no money to pay for them. He was also unable to provide the One Time Passwords (OTP) requested by the delivery staff. One of the fake orders was allegedly for a TV prize ₹1.69 million.

For those behind the prank, placing an order online was a matter of seconds. However, Veeramani struggled with repeated deliveries throughout the day. In the video, he made an emotional appeal to those targeting him, saying: “I fall at your feet. Please stop placing orders.”

He also spoke about the difficulty of managing the situation, saying: “Whether I turn the phone off or leave it on, there’s a problem.”

Food deliveries and bizarre fake orders add to Veeramani’s misery

Harassment was not limited to electronic devices. According to neighbors who spoke to the Times of India (TOI), deliverymen from food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato repeatedly turned up at his house with orders he never placed.

Some pranksters further escalated the situation by sending out screenshots of fictitious orders for JCB excavators and military tanks allegedly worth ₹70 million crowns.

Fake kidney donation requests add to the harassment

In another disturbing development, someone has allegedly circulated Veeramani’s phone number in connection with kidney donation. This led to inquiries about organ donation, which added another layer of anxiety to the repeated fake orders and unwanted calls.

Despite repeatedly asking the pranksters to stop, Veeramani continued to face harassment. In a later video, he said he was planning to leave town because people were confronting him and chastising him about expensive orders being placed on his behalf.

“I’m driving out of town. So many people are following me after people have ordered in the millions. They’re cursing me,” he said.

This was not the first time that Veeramani asked his followers for a favor. He had previously shared his phone number to search for Kerala travel posts. His followers contributed ₹60,000, helping him fulfill his long-cherished dream of visiting the state.