Influencer Flees Home After Fans Flood Doorstep with Cash-on-Delivery Megastore

​The festive season of Diwali is traditionally a time of goodwill, shared sweets, and joyous gatherings. For content creator Veeramani, however, the celebration turned into an overwhelming logistical nightmare when an innocent request for festive treats spiraled into a viral prank that forced him to temporarily abandon his home in Madurai, southern India.

​What began as a lighthearted appeal to his followers for holiday sweets quickly transformed into a relentless onslaught of unsolicited online shopping orders. Instead of traditional confectionery, pranksters took advantage of online retail platforms by placing massive orders for high-ticket consumer electronics—including televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and smartphones—and setting them to Cash on Delivery (COD).

​With the payment onus falling entirely on the recipient, Veeramani found himself trapped as delivery drivers descended upon his doorstep en masse. The situation escalated rapidly, with the creator reporting a staggering 15 separate deliveries arriving within a chaotic 30-minute window. Among the items was a single television valued at approximately $1,900.

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​Despite Veeramani’s repeated public pleas for the harassment to cease—pointing out that the stunt not only caused him severe personal stress but also wasted valuable time for local delivery personnel—the deluge of packages continued unabated. Driven out by the relentless stream of delivery trucks and mounting COD bills, the influencer ultimately chose to leave his residence to escape the spectacle.

​The bizarre saga, which quickly captured global headlines, eventually caught the attention of quick-commerce platform Swiggy Instamart. In a lighthearted turnaround, the delivery company stepped in to salvage the influencer’s festive season, surprising him with genuine household gifts and the Diwali sweets he had originally set out to receive.