Madurai man's Diwali wish goes wrong, TVs, fridges and lakhs in COD orders pour in

A Madurai-based Instagram creator said pranksters flooded his home with unwanted COD orders after he shared his address seeking Diwali sweets. The escalating deliveries forced him to leave town.A Madurai-based influencer had to leave his home after prank COD orders poured in. (Photos: Veeramani/Instagram)Tamil Nadu,Oct 13, 2026 10:31 ISTAn Instagram influencer from Tamil Nadu’s Madurai, has been forced to leave his home after an online request for Diwali sweets snowballed into a series of unwanted Cash on Delivery (COD) orders worth lakhs of rupees. Veeramani, who shared his phone number and home address online hoping to receive festive treats from followers, has since posted videos begging people to stop sending prank deliveries to harass him.The trouble began when Veeramani shared his address on social media in the hope that followers would send him boxes of sweets for Diwali. Instead of receiving the treats he had hoped for, he became the target of pranks involving fake COD orders placed in his name.The unwanted deliveries included televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and other household items. One order was said to be for a television worth Rs 1.69 lakh. Fake posts also circulated online claiming that a Rs 70-crore T-90 military tank, an ambulance and even a rocket had been ordered for him. See the video here:As the orders piled up, the situation became increasingly difficult for Veeramani to handle. Since the deliveries were placed on COD, he was expected to pay for items he had never requested. Delivery workers also found themselves caught up in the prank, travelling to his address with parcels that he had not ordered.Veeramani turned to Instagram to appeal directly to those behind the orders, explaining that the repeated deliveries and calls were causing him distress.“Why are you guys doing this? The delivery boys are coming from long distances. Stop doing this. Fifteen orders came in half an hour, and I don't have money for all of that,” he said in one video.Watch the video here:In another appeal, he expressed frustration over the delivery workers being dragged into the situation.“Why should I get scolded by them? They're working and are unnecessarily involved. I don't have money, I am only begging. Stop doing this,” he requested.Despite his repeated pleas, the harassment continued. In a subsequent video, Veeramani said he was leaving town because people were harassing him after the expensive orders were placed.“I'm going out of town. So many people are after me after people ordered in lakhs. They are scolding me,” he said.What began as a request for festive sweets had left Veeramani dealing with unwanted deliveries, angry exchanges and mounting stress. His experience also raised concerns about the consequences of sharing someone's personal information online and using it to place fraudulent orders.- Ends