Popular YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, widely known as Flying Beast, has sparked fresh panic online after sharing a video of a watermelon continuously releasing foam after being left overnight on a kitchen counter.
In the viral video titled 'Tarbooz Mein Nikla Zeher', Taneja claimed his wife Ritu noticed the fruit 'oozing poison' the next morning after purchasing it from a roadside vendor. The unusual visuals quickly spread across social media, leaving many users alarmed and demanding stricter food safety checks for local fruit sellers and roadside vendors.
The video has surfaced amid the ongoing case involving the deaths of a Mumbai family of four after allegedly consuming watermelon laced with rat poison.
Mumbai tragedy still under investigation
The four members, Abdullah Dokadia, 40, his wife Naseem, 35, and their daughters Ayesha, 16, and Zainab, 13, were found dead inside their South Mumbai residence on April 26, just hours after hosting a dinner party for relatives.
While relatives reportedly shared dinner together, the family later consumed watermelon after midnight. Investigators later confirmed the presence of rat poison in both the fruit and the victims’ bodies, intensifying public concern over food contamination and safety.
Internet divided over ‘poison’ claims
While several social media users expressed fear after watching Taneja’s video, others said the foaming phenomenon was likely caused by natural fermentation due to extreme summer temperatures.
One user commented, “A foaming watermelon is rapidly fermenting and rotting internally, often due to high heat, damage, or bacterial infection, and should never be eaten. The fermentation process creates gas, causing the foaming, liquid leakage, and potential to explode.”
Another wrote, “It was kept in high temperature for too long. Always store fruits in refrigerator. Bacteria growth happened inside the fruit due to which it got fermented from inside that’s why gas buildup.”
A third user shared a similar experience and wrote, “Sir this same thing happened with me also. Due to high temperature in north India, aisa hota hai watermelons mein. Always store them inside fridge and consume within one to two days.”
Food safety experts online also advised people to avoid consuming fruits showing signs of fermentation, unusual smell, leakage, or foam.
