Chennai Delivery Boy Dies By Suicide After Argument With Customer Over Delayed Grocery Delivery

A 19-year-old delivery executive, who worked part-time for a food aggregator in Chennai, died by suicide at his residence in Kolathur on Tuesday. Police said that the delivery boy, a B.Com student, took the extreme step following an altercation with a customer over a delayed grocery delivery.

According to police, the victim, identified as J Pavithran, was assigned to deliver groceries to a customer in Korattur on September 11. The delivery was delayed due to him facing difficulties in locating the address, which reportedly infuriated the customer.

A police officer aware of the case told The Indian Express that there was an argument between the customer and Pavithran over the delay in delivery.

“The woman allegedly berated him for being late. The tension between the two escalated when, later that day, the woman lodged a formal complaint with the delivery platform, requesting that Pavithran not be assigned to her deliveries in the future. We have information that the company had taken action against him. We are yet to get a clear picture of the action he was faced with,” the officer was quoted by Indian Express as saying.

Two days after the incident, Pavithran returned to the customer’s house and allegedly hurled a stone at her window, breaking the glass, which led to the woman filing a police complaint. Pavithran was called in for questioning by the police the next day and issued a warning. His parents were also present during the inquiry. No formal charges, however, were pressed against him.

On Tuesday, five days after the altercation, his family discovered him unresponsive in his room. A suicide note was also found in his room.

“His suicide note cited the altercation with the customer and her complaint as the reasons behind his decision to end his life. We have registered a case and initiated a probe into the circumstances leading to the death,’ an officer said.

“We are also probing the actions of the delivery platform and trying to gather details on whether there were any additional pressures on him from his work,” the officer added.