Packages originating from abroad, especially the West, and bound for Bangalore are most likely to be stolen at the sub-foreign post office on Museum Road by the India Post personnel. Breaking into foreign parcels, usually containing consumer goods like apparel, toys and other non-durable items, and outright stealing by workers of India Post, which is faced with crores of rupees in annual losses and creeping institutional obsolescence, has assumed notoriety.
When postman Balaramappa appeared at the door of this correspondent’s house in Indiranagar, he held in his hand a beat-up, mutilated package that had quite obviously been opened and its content taken out before cheap duct tape was used to seal it and despatched to the post office on 13th Main in Indiranagar.
The online order for a pair of jeans from J C Penney, a retail store in Manchester, Connecticut, in the United States, was put in a cardboard box and despatched by the company using the services of United States Postal Service. After it reached India and went through Customs, the insured package was routed to India Post and it reached the sub-foreign post office on Museum Road on March 12.
Staff involved
After noticing the damage caused to the package and the theft of the item when the postman brought it to his door for delivery, this correspondent met Post Master M Suryaprakash who agreed that the box had been broken open and the jeans taken out and replaced by some useless books.
He suspected the hand of employees at the sub-foreign post office and sought a written complaint (along with supporting documents) which, he said, would be of help in investigating the theft.
“It is at the sub-foreign post office that packages originating from abroad are opened to assess if taxes and levies are to be charged to the recipient,” Suryaprakash said.
Several other India Post personnel admitted that items from foreign countries are routinely stolen by postal personnel, leaving customers writing out complaints that are as routinely not pursued. Inquiries revealed that such admissions are not without foundation.
An “error book” maintained in all Bangalore post offices have several entries of mutilated packages or lost items.
Deccan Herald tried to contact Chief Postmaster General Yesodhara Menon and several other sub-ordinate India Post officials, all of whom were busy in a video conferencing session.