Sweets, fridge, televisions and a Rs 70-crore tank! How Veeramani became internet's favourite prank target

All he wanted was a box of sweets for Diwali. Instead, the internet decided he needed a refrigerator, a television, enough groceries to stock a supermarket and, for reasons best known to the people behind the prank, a military tank worth Rs 70 crore. Welcome to Veeramani's Diwali nightmare.

The influencer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, posted an Instagram Reel asking someone to order him a box of sweets so he could enjoy a little festive indulgence. To make things easier, he included his address and phone number in the video. That was when things went spectacularly wrong. Initially, the response was exactly what he had hoped for. Kind-hearted followers ordered boxes of sweets for him, and the deliveries began arriving at his doorstep. A sweet little Diwali gesture, courtesy of the internet. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, apparently, everything. Once his address was out there, the sweets were soon joined by a parade of unsolicited orders. Fruits, milk, vegetables, clothes and other food items began turning up at his home. Then came the televisions and refrigerators. But before anyone started wondering why Veeramani wasn't celebrating his sudden good fortune, there was a rather expensive catch: the orders were cash on delivery. These weren't gifts. They were bills with a delivery agent attached.

Imagine opening your door expecting another box of sweets and finding someone asking you to pay for a refrigerator you never ordered. Diwali shopping has never looked quite so terrifying. And then came the mother of all prank orders: a military tank reportedly worth Rs 70 crore, ordered in his name. Veeramani had asked for a box of sweets. Someone apparently decided he needed enough firepower to invade a small country.

By this point, the joke had become a logistical nightmare. Veeramani returned to Instagram with another Reel, pleading with people to stop placing orders using his details. The internet, however, had apparently not finished shopping. His details were reportedly used to create accounts on matrimonial websites. Someone also registered his information for kidney donation, leading to calls from people asking about getting a kidney from him. From a Diwali sweet tooth to an unsolicited organ-donation hotline — that is quite the career progression.

Only then did the full extent of the mess become clear. Veeramani made another emotional appeal, begging people to stop the pranks. He said the situation had become so unbearable that he was considering leaving his home. The delivery agents were reportedly furious, too, as they repeatedly turned up with orders that were subsequently cancelled. They had been recruited into a bizarre online prank without ever signing up for the role.

Veeramani has around two lakh Instagram followers and also runs a YouTube channel. One Reel asking for a box of sweets was enough to turn his address into a target for people with far too much time and an alarming enthusiasm for the cash-on-delivery option. The lesson? Never underestimate the internet when it has your address, your phone number and absolutely no intention of behaving itself. And if you happen to be craving sweets this Diwali, perhaps just buy them yourself. It's cheaper than accidentally ordering an imaginary tank.