Postman suspended for not delivering 6,000 letters for almost 15 years

A postal worker in India has been suspended for not delivering thousands of letters for more than a decade.

Jagannath Puhan, assistant branch post master in Odhanga village in the state of Orissa, refused to deliver about 6,000 letters and packages dating back to 2004.

The haul of undelivered letters was found when a group of schoolchildren were playing in an abandoned post office after the facility had moved to a new location.

It was reported that the children noticed a number of large sacks with letters sticking out.

The children opened the letters and found bank details and ATM cards, so they told their parents.

The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that there were 6,000 letters and packages, although many of them were soggy or had been eaten by termites.

About 1,500 letters were salvaged, however.

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Mr Puhan was said to be in sole charge of the village post office for the past decade.

Authorities said he would send registered mail because the sender would be able to track the delivery.

However, it would appear that letters and packages that weren’t registered ended up in bags in a storeroom, never to be delivered.

Mr Puhan claimed he “couldn’t walk properly and was not in a condition to deliver these letters”.

Officials say they are baffled why no one who did try to send a letter ever complained.

The letters that are in a decent condition will now be sent out to their intended recipients, albeit years late.

However, hundreds of letters are so damaged the names on the envelopes are unreadable.