How cash-on-delivery makes delivery agents an easy target of violence

A murder has brought into focus the risks agents face during cash-on-delivery orders

In the last week of September, Bharat Kumar, a 32-year-old Flipkart delivery agent, was allegedly strangled in the Chinhat area of Lucknow while delivering two smartphones worth nearly Rs 1,00,000 to a customer via cash-on-delivery (CoD). His body was later dumped in a canal. His disappearance triggered a police investigation, leading to the arrest of one accused and the surrender of another.

  The killing has once again cast a spotlight on the dangers faced by delivery agents across India, particularly those dealing with CoD transactions. Following Kumar’s murder, delivery workers have raised urgent demands for better safety measures. 

Chief among their concerns is the need to cap CoD orders at Rs 2,000, along with provisions for camera-mounted helmets, GPS-equipped bikes, and enhanced institutional insurance, besides financial support for families in case of accidents or fatalities. Some of these measures, they argue, could serve as deterrents and help authorities track and respond to dangerous situations more effectively.

  CoD, a popular payment mode in the e-commerce ecosystem, allows customers to pay for their purchases upon delivery. While it helps capture a vast customer base reluctant to engage with online payments, it places a significant burden on delivery agents who often find themselves carrying large sums of money or valuable products. The cash involved can make these workers easy targets for theft, fraud, and violence.

  Several delivery agents spoken to said they feel vulnerable, particularly when delivering expensive items in remote or poorly lit areas. Late-night deliveries compound the threat. 

  Cash-on-delivery orders of expensive products are particularly dangerous, said Vipin Kumar (name changed on request), a delivery agent. “At times, we have to deliver these items in deserted areas or during late hours, and there is always the fear that something bad could happen. But we don’t have the support we need to protect ourselves,” he added, stressing the necessity of improved safety protocols for high-value deliveries.

  Following Bharat Kumar’s death, his family, alongside delivery agents, staged a demonstration on October 3 outside the warehouse where Bharat worked. The protesters called for capital punishment for his killers and demanded Rs 25 lakh in compensation for his family. They highlighted the precariousness of delivery jobs and drew attention to the lack of comprehensive safeguards for those employed in the industry.

  Bharat Kumar’s brother, Prem, who is a lawyer, spoke about the inherent risks in his brother’s job. “His job was dangerous, especially when it involved delivering expensive products. It’s difficult work, and now we’ve lost him," he said. While Flipkart has offered an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh and promised additional financial aid to the family, Prem Kumar is also pushing for broader systemic reforms to protect delivery agents from meeting the same fate as his brother.

  The no-go areas

  Companies operating in the logistics and delivery sectors have recognised the challenges their workers face, though their responses vary. 

  Flipkart said as a precautionary measure, it has disabled CoD in 350 high-risk pincodes to reduce fraud and crime. 

  A Flipkart spokesperson said its machine learning algorithm also detects fraudulent customers, enabling its safety team to take corrective actions. Besides this, “enforcement officers are available at both central and zonal levels, providing 24x7 on-ground support and coordinating with law enforcement agencies to resolve incidents,” the spokesperson added. 

  Other major players like Zomato and Amazon said they too have made efforts to protect their workers. 

  Zomato CEO Rakesh Ranjan said that based on feedback from its delivery partners, the company had identified “Black Zones” — areas with a history of crime — where the delivery teams no longer accept orders. These zones include unsafe forest/wildlife areas, those facing natural calamities or reporting incidents of snatching/threat to life, locations where road conditions are poor, high accident-prone areas, and isolated ones such as hilly regions and villages, among others.

  In addition, Ranjan said Zomato provides personal accident insurance and health coverage. “In situations of roadside emergencies or accidents, delivery partners have the SOS button on their application that is displayed prominently on the home screen,” Ranjan said. This button, he added, can be pressed to summon an ambulance, claiming that the response time averages 12 minutes.

  Flipkart, too, said it has an SOS app for emergency assistance, covering road accidents, medical needs, fire incidents, and safety threats, along with a helpline that operates through its “security command centre”.

Female delivery agents face even greater risks. 

  Companies like Zomato and Flipkart said they are cognisant of this and have responded by introducing self-defence training and providing them with safety kits that include pepper spray, flashlights, and other protective gear. “Women delivery agents are not deployed in high-risk areas and have flexible working hours,” the Flipkart spokesperson said.

  Besides the threat from humans, Amazon said it empowers its drivers to report the presence of a dog at delivery locations via a mobile app to notify the risk to future delivery associates. The company added that it is also particular about mandatory helmet usage, and enforces it through an AI-based app that requires riders to submit selfies for verification. 

  None of these companies, however, responded to whether they have a limit on the value of a cash-on-delivery order, or the total amount of cash a delivery agent can carry at a time.   

Legal gaps 

>  In India, gig workers, including delivery agents, are primarily governed by contractual agreements rather than traditional labour laws. "This leaves significant gaps in their legal protection, particularly concerning workplace safety," said Ankit Rajgarhia, principal associate, Karanjawala & Co. Despite handling cash and valuable goods, these workers lack robust protections afforded to regular employees, such as under the Industrial Disputes Act or the Employees’ Compensation Act, he added.

>  The Code on Social Security, 2020 acknowledges gig and platform workers as a distinct workforce category,” said Bishen Jeswant, partner in the employment law practice at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. However, “the provisions of this code are yet to be enforced.” Some states, like Rajasthan and Karnataka, have introduced laws to register gig workers and provide social security, but these initiatives are still limited, Jeswant added.

>  Until the Social Security Code takes full effect, gig workers do not enjoy the benefits of life or accidental insurance, said Subhash Bhutoria, founder of Law SB, a Noida-headquartered law firm. He urged aggregators to implement internal schemes to safeguard workers in the interim, particularly for insurance coverage, until the code as well as central and state schemes come into effect.

 

Top demands  

- Need to cap CoD orders at Rs 2,000

- Provisions for camera-mounted helmets, GPS-equipped bikes, and enhanced institutional insurance

- Financial support for families in case of accidents or fatalities