r/Chennai

While I was returning home, a guy on a scooty stopped me. He said he desperately needed cash and asked if I could withdraw money from an ATM for him. He promised to instantly transfer the amount to my bank account via UPI.

The Red Flags:

• Invading Personal Space: He asked me to open GPay to check my balance. While the phone was still in my hand, he actually reached over and scrolled through it himself to see my balance. Then he weirdly questioned me about why I was showing him my balance.
• Dodging Questions: Whenever I asked him a logical question, he mumbled or didn't answer properly. The second he actually gave an answer, he would immediately fire another question at me to keep me confused and off-balance.
• The "Local" Card: He tried to build trust by saying he lives nearby in Mannady.

We went to the nearby Bank of Baroda (BOB) ATM just beside the subway. The plan was to use the UPI QR code withdrawal feature (where you scan the ATM screen and enter your PIN on your phone to dispense cash).

Suddenly, he pulled out a stack of ₹500 notes to show me he "had money," but then immediately initiated a withdrawal on the ATM for ₹10,000 and asked me to scan the QR code and enter my PIN to dispense the cash from my account.

That was the final straw. I stopped right there and confronted him: "If you already have a stack of cash right in your hand, why do I need to withdraw 10k from my account?"

He immediately got defensive and said, "I'm not going to cheat you," (in tamil) but I backed out and left.

Never open your payment apps in front of strangers, and never let them touch or look at your screen. The way he kept talking fast to confuse me is a classic scammer tactic so you don't have time to think.

Has anyone else experienced something similar in Chennai or run into this specific guy near Beach Station?

Hey guys,

Just arrived in Chennai yesterday for college placements from the north, and honestly, Day 1 hit me like a ton of bricks.

I’ve stayed in hostels for almost 7 years, but yesterday completely broke me. Started with a gruelling 30+ hour journey without sleep, lost my water bottle on the platform while juggling heavy luggage, and then got hit by the classic cab scam right outside Central (guy literally took the OTP, put my luggage in, sat inside and demanded 100 extra, blaming "outskirts commission").

By the time I reached my PG in Singaperumal Koil, I was completely drained, hungry, and severely overwhelmed. The area feels super isolated, extreme language barrier, the room setup felt claustrophobic, and with the whole placement stress hanging over my head, I literally broke down and cried while walking outside, trying to distract myself. Called up friends and family just to hold myself together.

I'm doing a bit better today, but I’ve realised this specific area (SKL/MWC side) is just not for me. It feels disconnected, tough to find familiar North Indian food/mess, and the isolation is messing with my head.

Since I only need to visit campus 1–2 days a week (mostly for placement drives/mandatory stuff), I really want to shift somewhere better:

1. Good PG/Flat recommendations: Somewhere in Potheri, Guduvancheri, or nearby pockets with a good student crowd, walkable North Indian food options, and decent connectivity.
2. Transit: Planning to use the local EMU train to Potheri station to dodge the daily auto/cab surge. Any tips from folks doing this commute?
3. Connecting: If anyone is going through the same placement grind/final year stress, or just wants to grab a chai/food near KTR and talk code, prep, or life—hit me up. Having zero familiar faces around in a new city sucks.

Any genuine leads or advice would mean a lot right now. Thanks for reading the rant.

The traffic is not even moving from kathipara flyover onto alandur metro. What is going on?
There’s congestion everywhere right now

Embarrassing but needs to be asked. After moving to humid chennai from a dry city, I've been facing one dilema : V shaped underwear or boxer shaped underwear for men. I have tried both and have had mixed experiences due to the sweat and the pinching of the sack skin in the elastic (in v shaped), boxes get too hot under formal pants. On shaving the said area I have noticed the skin sticks like velcro due to humidity and when it cools it rips, not the most pleasant experience. I hope there is a better solutions - please dont say komanam and pattapatti 😄

Hello I just want to know your thoughts on this .

Why do people never follow traffic rules and are always over taking on the left side especially bikes

No helmet wearing when travelling in bikes.

No stop in signal if police are not there half of the people skip signal and move

Is it because people used to get driving licenses by paying money to rto .

No respect for people walking on the bike ride on the foot path.

If every where ai based camera are kept and more of challan are generated people tend to follow rules

What's your thoughts on this .

Does doing what you like in terms of job matter that much? Won't you be happy with say 12lpa from a mediocre and hectic job(say like in it) and do other stuff like reading, trips, etc. to be happy? I want people who are working to give their inputs on this. I also want those who chose their job out of the mere passion and say how they feel right now.

I couldn't get over this in my head, so typing it out here.

Today I was traveling in arakkonam fast and I got to listen to two boys speaking among themselves. One of them were said to be working at baby hospital as lab assistant some job and the other boy's wasn't known and both of them were from tiruvallur dist I guess. (I'm not degrading any specific district's people, it's just that few incidents like this puts down the whole reputation)

So one of the boys were loud and speaking with the other one saying, they beat someone and all. Eventually he started saying something constantly, "Aambala na bhayam irukkanum" probably he's saying this in the context of beating the couples who spend time privately in stations where there won't be much crowd. He was constantly mentioning, "adutha vaati bhayam irukkanum" maybe it could be a good thing too. But indulging in other person's private life is no one's concern, I believe. Also, this makes me scared that still there are even young kids who were raised with castist ideologies, even near chennai.

Then the conversation eventually moved into LGBTQ, the boy who was silent was saying about gay and things, and the boy who used to be loud saying, "Ussu nu sollu thala" adha laam paathale angaiye adikkanum, avanungalukku bhayam irukkanum.

All this was happening in a crowded train, and the boys were sitting in their seats as if sitting in a sofa, all cozy. Though they were dressed properly, their words and attitude felt pretty dangerous. But what felt even more dangerous was, no one were bothered about what they were speaking and sensitive it is.

Though there was one uncle who was silently saying to the next person, how bad these boys were speaking and how much of an audacity they must be having to speak about this in public.

Things like these will eventually grow in crime scenes and kids like them were encouraged to do these.

If you were there, what would you've done. I'm extremely ranting over myself saying I couldn't do anything.

Hello chennai makkale any suggestions for a lunch buffet in Chennai under 1300 per person. Also share your experience in the restaurant.

When I checked map for routes, most of the destination on ECR has bus connectivity, but seems like I need to walk few distance from bus stop to destination through small streets. Are they safe in early morning?

​Commuting through the Porur–Manapakkam / DLF corridor during peak morning and evening hours is officially unbearable. It routinely takes 50–60 minutes just to cross this short stretch, despite traffic police being deployed at almost every major junction.

​A few major bottlenecks that need urgent attention:

​Pedestrian Skywalks / FOBs needed at RMZ and DLF: Thousands of tech park employees cross at grade level during peak hours. Vehicles are stopped every 2 minutes for pedestrian movement, stalling the entire corridor. Foot overbridges would save both commuter time and pedestrian lives.

​The DLF / L&T / LTM Convergence: DLF gate traffic, L&T campus exits, and LTM traffic all dump onto the main road at virtually the same pinch point. How did this pass traffic impact assessment when these parks expanded?

​Metro Barricade Bottlenecks: The ongoing CMRL Phase 2 construction has already eaten two lanes. When you combine narrower lanes with U-turns and office exit bottlenecks, gridlock is guaranteed.

​Is anyone seeing any long-term mitigation planned here once the metro station opens, or is this just life until 2026–2027?

Hi all

I’m a Chennai vaasi, travelling to Vaniyambadi next week. From there, I want to go Vellore to attend a function. Is there any public transport from Vaniyambadi to Vellore/ Katpadi.

As far as I researched, there is no TNSTC bus running between these routes. Are private cabs the only option? Any advice on this would be helpful.. Thanks a lot in advance.

I went to watch a movie at Forum Mall, and people were constantly cutting the queue during ticket checking at the entrance. I called out one person for cutting the line, and he stared at me as if I had insulted him.

Why can't people follow the most basic public etiquette and stand in a queue in our city?

People don't stand in queues or wait for passengers to exit before boarding a bus or train.

People cut lines during security checks at cinemas, hospitals, and public places. In petrol bunks, motorcyclists wait for even the smallest opportunity to squeeze between two bikes.

Respecting a queue is respecting everyone's time. Why don't we learn that?

As an introvert, I used to feel very hesitant to question someone when they cut the queue. Most of the time, I would just let it go, even though I would feel angry about it. Nowadays, I've started calling people out when they do it, mostly out of frustration. But I wonder about other people who are introverted or scared to speak up, just like I used to be.

If you've read this and you're someone who thinks it's okay to cut a line, it's not. It's a regressive habit that reflects poorly on our society and our country. Please try to change this behaviour and respect your time as well as everyone else's.

And to those who do follow queues: if you see someone not respecting the queue, please call them out respectfully. You might be helping someone like me and small act creates a difference.

I hope we become more disciplined citizens. At the very least, let's make sure our next generation grows up with better civic sense.

I'm gonna be travelling alone for the first time so I don't really know how to figure this out. Apparently meenambakkam is on blue line and Ashok Nagar is on green line. Do I have to get down on alandur and change or is there another way? How do I know in which direction the train is gonna go in? If I accidentally get on the wrong train what should I do?

Dear friends of Chennai - I am coming from Bangalore for couple of days and I want to visit the kapaleeshwara temple that I have once visit to a long time ago.

I am bringing my family and would like to get a pooja done. Is there a way to prebook these, or can I pay when I reach the temple on Saturday morning?

Not aware hence i would like to learn from people familiar with the temple.

Hope this is the right forum to ask 🙏

Hey freinds, so yeah basically the title, my budget is around 500-1000 Rupees at max for each game, not necessarily looking for new games or anything, just some cult classics and stuff yk,

Please give me locations, shop addresses, names, entire streets etc, anything in general.

Thanks alot!!

Dear parents, I’m curious about something. In today’s digital world, if you could replace a small part of your child’s screen time with something genuinely useful for their future, what would you want them to learn? Not school subjects or academic tutoring, but practical things that would help them become capable, independent adults. What skills do you think kids aren’t learning enough at school or at home, and what’s one skill you wish you had learned as a child?