iWorld
Mumbai pani puri stall goes viral with water gun filling stunt
Instamart’s Holi activation swaps matka for blasters, video sparks laughs and soggy puri debates online.
MUMBAI: Pani puri just got a high-pressure upgrade because in Mumbai, even street food is practising its aim for Holi. A pani puri vendor in the city has become an overnight social media star after he was filmed firing paani into crisp puris using colourful water guns, part of a playful festive activation by quick-commerce platform Instamart ahead of Holi. The clip, shared widely on Instagram and Linkedin, shows the vendor ditching the traditional steel matka for toy blasters, blasting flavoured water straight into the golgappas with impressive accuracy while a crowd of office-goers, students, and passers-by gathers, phones out, recording the spectacle.
The stunt was designed to spotlight Instamart’s Holi collection of water guns, now shifting from childhood toys to serious adult purchases. Premium models like the German-engineered SPYRA (known for power and range), alongside NERF and Toyshine blasters, are already seeing demand as buyers gear up for the festival with high-performance gear bought with grown-up money.
Netizens had a field day with the video. One user quipped, “There are two kinds of Holi people: The ‘I’ll sit inside’ ones. And the ‘give me the biggest water gun’ ones. Instamart clearly built this for the second category.” Another likened it to “a deleted Holi scene from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” capturing the mix of amusement and mock horror over potentially soggy puris.
With Holi still weeks away, the viral moment signals that festive shopping and the playful chaos it brings has already begun in Mumbai. In a city where street food is sacred, watching pani puri get the water-gun treatment might just be the splashiest sign yet that the festival of colours is loading up for a big, wet comeback.
iWorld
Meta warns 200 users after fake Whatsapp spyware attack
Italy-targeted campaign used unofficial app to deploy surveillance spyware.
MUMBAI: It looked like a message, but it behaved like a mole. Meta has warned around 200 users most of them in Italy after uncovering a targeted spyware campaign that weaponised a fake version of WhatsApp to infiltrate devices. The attack, first reported by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, relied on classic social engineering with a modern twist: persuading users to download an unofficial WhatsApp clone embedded with surveillance software. The malicious application, believed to be developed by Italian firm SIO through its subsidiary ASIGINT, was designed to mimic the real app closely enough to bypass suspicion.
Meta’s security teams identified roughly 200 individuals who may have installed the compromised version, triggering immediate countermeasures. Affected users were logged out of their accounts and issued alerts warning of potential privacy breaches, with the company describing the incident as a “targeted social engineering attempt” aimed at gaining device-level access.
The malicious app was not distributed via official app stores but circulated through third-party channels, where it was presented as a legitimate WhatsApp alternative. Once installed, it reportedly allowed external operators to access sensitive data stored on the device turning a simple download into a potential surveillance gateway.
According to Techcrunch, Meta is now preparing legal action against the spyware developers to curb further misuse. The company, however, has not disclosed details about the specific individuals targeted or the extent of data compromised.
A Whatsapp spokesperson reiterated that user safety remains the top priority, particularly for those misled into installing the fake iOS application. Meanwhile, reports from La Repubblica suggest the spyware may be linked to “Spyrtacus”, a strain previously associated with Android-based attacks that could intercept calls, activate microphones and even access cameras.
The episode underscores a growing reality in the digital age, the threat is no longer just what you download, but where you download it from. As unofficial apps become increasingly convincing, the line between communication tool and covert surveillance is getting harder to spot and far easier to exploit.
