Hundreds Storm Kolkata Haldiram’s After Fake YouTube Video Claims Store Buys Old Coins for Lakhs
In this article Viral Coin-Buying Hoax Causes Chaos in Kolkatawe will look at how viral news spread and lots of people gathered in hope
The scene outside the Haldiram’s outlet on Park Street looked like something out of a fantasy novel gone wrong. Hundreds of people clutched plastic bags stuffed with old coins, their faces a mixture of hope and desperation. Some had traveled over 500 kilometers based on a YouTube video that promised instant riches. What they found instead was chaos, confusion, and a very bewildered snack store staff.
By Tuesday morning, the crowd had swelled to nearly 400 people. Traffic crawled to a halt as coin-carriers spilled onto the busy Kolkata street, creating a surreal bottleneck that left even seasoned traffic police scratching their heads.
“I brought three kilos of coins,” said Ram Prasad, who had taken an overnight bus from Ranchi. “The video showed people getting ₹50,000 for just a few old coins. My wife pawned her gold bangles for the bus fare.” His voice cracked slightly as he realized what many others were slowly understanding – they’d been had.
The viral video, which has since been taken down, claimed that Haldiram’s was purchasing pre-1947 coins and certain denominations from the 1980s for astronomical sums. Screenshots shared on WhatsApp groups showed fake receipts with amounts like ₹25,000 and ₹40,000.
The Viral Lie That Brought a City to Its Knees
What started as a single YouTube video snowballed across social media platforms faster than anyone could track. The creator, using a generic channel name, had cobbled together stock footage of old coins and the Haldiram’s storefront, adding convincing-sounding commentary about a “special government scheme.”
“People were coming since 6 AM,” said Rajesh Kumar, who runs a tea stall near the outlet. “I saw families with children, elderly people with walking sticks, all carrying bags of coins. Some were counting them right here on the footpath.”
The store manager, who refused to give his name, looked exhausted by noon. “We kept telling people we don’t buy coins, we sell sweets and snacks. But they thought we were lying to avoid the crowd.”
Meera Devi, who had traveled from a village in Odisha with her teenage son, sat on the pavement looking defeated. “The video showed the exact same shop,” she said, pointing at the Haldiram’s sign. “How were we supposed to know it was fake?”
Local vendors initially tried to capitalize on the unexpected footfall, but the mood quickly turned somber as people realized they’d been duped. “First I was happy seeing so many customers,” admitted Sunil, a fruit seller. “Then I saw their faces when they understood the truth. It broke my heart.”
The Kolkata Police arrived around 1 PM, not to arrest anyone, but to manage what had become a law and order situation. “We had to request people to disperse peacefully,” said Inspector Amit Ghosh. “Many were angry, some were crying. It was a delicate situation.”
When Hope Meets Hoax in the Digital Age
This isn’t the first time fake investment videos have wreaked havoc in India. Last year, similar hoaxes about selling plastic bottles and old mobile phones to major brands caused similar scenes in Mumbai and Chennai. The pattern is always the same – prey on people’s economic vulnerabilities with promises of easy money.
“These fraudsters specifically target rural and semi-urban populations through regional language content,” explained Dr. Priya Sharma, who studies social media misinformation at Jadavpur University. “They know exactly which emotional buttons to push.”
The psychological impact runs deeper than just financial loss. Many of the people who showed up had borrowed money for travel, taken leave from daily wage jobs, or dipped into their meager savings.
Haldiram’s issued an official statement by evening, clarifying they have “never purchased coins from customers and have no such policy.” The company also announced they were exploring legal action against the creators of the fake video.
What happened on Park Street Tuesday isn’t just a bizarre news story – it’s a mirror reflecting how digital misinformation exploits the dreams of ordinary people. In an age where anyone can create convincing content, the line between hope and hoax has become dangerously thin.
As the crowd finally dispersed by evening, Ram Prasad from Ranchi was already planning his overnight journey back home. “At least I learned something today,” he said with a bitter smile. “Not everything on YouTube is true.”
The coins he’d carried so hopefully now felt heavy in his bag – not with promise, but with the weight of a lesson learned the hard way.
