Overview

• Younes Zarou left a latest-model iPhone on a roadside bench in Kerala for about two hours to test whether passersby would touch or take it.
• His Instagram video has garnered over 38 million views, more than 1.4 million likes and thousands of comments since early August.
• Many viewers praised the outcome as evidence of strong civic conduct, with comments comparing Kerala’s safety to other Indian cities.
• Critics noted visible tripods and camera gear as potential deterrents to theft and questioned if the experiment was staged.
• The stunt reflects a wider influencer trend of leaving valuables in public to generate engagement and shape perceptions of destination safety.