Courier employee's death sparks row

VADODARA: The death of an employee of a courier company has raked up a major controversy. Jayesh Patel, who used to work for the master franchisee of a prominent courier company, had jumped from a moving train on the Golden Bridge in Bharuch and accused his employers of harassing him for some payments due from customers.
Patel, 42, used to work as an international in-charge with the Riddhi Siddhi Courier Services Pvt Ltd, a master franchisee for DTDC Courier and Cargo Ltd.Sources said that several co-couriers and franchisees operate under the master franchisee. Patel's job was to get business from these for the company and to collect payments from them.
On June 21, Patel, a resident of Limda Pol in Raopura, went missing from the city and on the next day, the Bharuch police informed his family that he had jumped from a bridge from a moving train on Narmada river in Bharuch. Patel was badly injured and was rushed to the Bharuch civil hospital. "On June 23, Bharuch police informed the Raopura police regarding Patel as his family had registered a missing persons report there on June 22. The Raopura police in turn informed us," said Ankur Patel, a cousin of the deceased.
Patel was rushed to Vadodara for treatment and admitted to a private hospital. He died on Tuesday night.
What has raked up a controversy is a note that Patel left at his home. The note was found inside a cupboard when his wife Kashmira started to search for his photograph to give it to the Raopura police. Patel has said in this note that some co-couriers and franchisees that he used to handle had not paid up money. In the case of some of these, he has even said that they seem to have no intention of paying the money.
At the other end, Patel has alleged that his employers were exerting pressure on him to pay up the money. Patel has claimed that despite him repaying amounts, the company kept coming up with inflated figures of pending amounts and asked for money. Patel stated in the note that if anything happened to him, the proprietor of his company and co-couriers would be responsible. Patel is survived by his parents, wife Kashmira, son Dishant and daughter Prutha.
Bharuch railway police sub-inspector V L Pandor said that following the death of Patel they had registered the incident as an accidental death and were investigating it. "However, the note has not been brought to our notice yet," he said.