Minor blows off courier parcel to ‘claim’ insurance, detained

The minor had booked a courier service to Delhi on the pretext of sending a consignment of electronics, which he claimed was valued at Rs 9.81 lakh. He had insured the parcel after coming across an advertisement of the insurance company on YouTube, which stated that “In case of any damage to an item/material during the journey/handling of a declared product, the original price of the goods for electronic goods and compensation of 10 per cent on it will be paid through this ‘Shipment and Transit’ policy.”

The 17-year-old, who was preparing for his NEET entrance examination, hatched a plan to use the benefit. The minor initially made fake invoices worth Rs 9,81,800 for two computer processors, mobiles and memory cards, police said.

“Using the fake invoices, he bought insurance online,” inspector Satish Tavare said.

The burnt parcel. (Express Photo)

The boy then filled the parcel with junk and an incendiary device that he prepared at home while watching YouTube videos.

The parcel was picked up by the courier agency on Tuesday afternoon and it exploded when at their warehouse in Jogeshwari at around 11pm on Tuesday. The courier agency, however, reported the incident to the police only on Wednesday after which a police team reached the spot.

“We found leftovers of a flower pot and other crackers inside it. We sensed something amiss following which we got the details of the person who dispatched the parcel,” said an officer. A team was then sent to his house at Santacruz and the minor was detained.

During inquiry, he revealed that he had planned to claim Rs 9,81,800 and the added 10 per cent compensation from the insurance company. Using that money, he was going to buy a computer and an iPhone.