German Influencer Leaves iPhone In A Busy Kerala Market To Test India's 'Safety'
German influencer Younes Zarou recently decided to do an unusual social experiment to see 'How safe is India?" While visiting Kerala, he left an iPhone in a crowded local market and secretly recorded the scene. Starting around 4:30 pm, he kept his phone, walked away and watched from a hidden spot.
Surprisingly, many noticed the phone, but no one touched it. Even after more than an hour, the device remained exactly where he had placed it. When Zarou returned two hours later, the phone was still there.
Influencer 'Tests' India's Safety
The influencer wanted to find out if anyone in the busy market would try to take the unattended phone, but the final result surprised him. In the video, people could be seen passing by, some even turned around to look at the device, yet no one touched it. At one point, a woman noticed the phone and smiled before walking away. Another person could have easily taken it, but they didn't even realise an expensive phone was lying kept without an owner. Taking to Instagram, Zarou wrote, 'How safe is India? Location: Kerala."
Internet Call The Experiment Unrealistic
A handful of social media users were impressed, while others wondered if the same result would happen everywhere in India.
Reacting to the post, a user wrote, 'Bro, you're in the wrong part of India."
Another asked, 'Try it without a camera."
'UP Bihar ka naam suna hai. (Have you heard about UP and Bihar?)," a comment read.
An individual stated, 'If you keep a big tripod and big camera in front.. Then nobody will rob your phone.. Also, I am 100% sure that if someone had taken your phone, this video would never have come. I know you want to show a clean side of India to gain more Indian audience, but at least show some reality."
Another simply mentioned, 'This is Kerala, sir."
One more jokingly added, 'In Latin America, 5 seconds."
Before arriving in Kerala, Younes Zarou was in Bengaluru, where his visit took an unexpected turn. He had shared his location as Church Street and plans for a fan meet on Instagram. As the crowd began to gather, police from Cubbon Park station decided to intervene and took the influencer into custody due to safety concerns. Zarou had planned the fan meet without official permission.
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First Published:
August 12, 2025, 13:58 IST
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