Vashi PO man sells letters in scrap, held
After joining Vashi Post Office as a labourer a year ago, Ajay Prahlad Adsulkar, 27, figured there was more he do with the mounds of letters he was tasked with sorting into areawise piles for delivery – sell them by the kilo to the local scrap dealer for a quick buck.
Always the last to leave the post office at the end of the day, Adsulkar with the help of his friend Lalit Abraji Patel, 20, began smuggling letters out by the sack three months ago to sell them in the morning to local scrap dealers. His shocking scam, however, was busted on Saturday morning by a patrolling police team while heading to the scrap dealer with sacks of letters.
As Adsulkar passed by, an officer in the police van noticed the India Post logo on the sacks and stopped him. Upon being questioned, the post office staffer said he was on his way to dispose of waste paper. Not convinced, police asked him to open the sack, which turned to be full of undelivered letters.
“I was waiting for a cheque for the last three months. Now I know that it was stuck at the post office,” said Kirti Singh, who suspects that her cheque could be part of the loot. Senior PI Ram Pathare of Vashi police station said, “We have arrested two people in the case and a third accomplice, said to be Adsulekar’s friend, is absconding. They have been stealing mail for a long time.”
Located in Sector 16, Vashi post office is the main one for all of Navi Mumbai. This post office was inaugurated by Jyotiraditya Scindia four years ago.
Always the last to leave the post office at the end of the day, Adsulkar with the help of his friend Lalit Abraji Patel, 20, began smuggling letters out by the sack three months ago to sell them in the morning to local scrap dealers. His shocking scam, however, was busted on Saturday morning by a patrolling police team while heading to the scrap dealer with sacks of letters.
As Adsulkar passed by, an officer in the police van noticed the India Post logo on the sacks and stopped him. Upon being questioned, the post office staffer said he was on his way to dispose of waste paper. Not convinced, police asked him to open the sack, which turned to be full of undelivered letters.
The cops took Adsulkar to the police station for questioning, where he admitted to stealing mail and selling them to scrap dealers. He then led the police to the scrap dealer, where they found 17 more sacks of stolen mail, containing letters, government and school documents, insurance papers and other official communication.
“I was waiting for a cheque for the last three months. Now I know that it was stuck at the post office,” said Kirti Singh, who suspects that her cheque could be part of the loot. Senior PI Ram Pathare of Vashi police station said, “We have arrested two people in the case and a third accomplice, said to be Adsulekar’s friend, is absconding. They have been stealing mail for a long time.”
Located in Sector 16, Vashi post office is the main one for all of Navi Mumbai. This post office was inaugurated by Jyotiraditya Scindia four years ago.
