BENGALURU: A viral complaint from a Bengaluru resident has renewed public scrutiny of India’s fast-growing quick-commerce sector, after a sealed package that was supposed to contain a 5-gram gold coin arrived with a single one-rupee coin inside. The incident has raised questions about supply-chain vulnerabilities, delivery-partner pressures, and the fragile trust that underpins instant online shopping.
The Convenience That Comes With New Risks
Quick-commerce platforms have reshaped urban consumption in India, promising groceries, electronics and even jewelry in minutes. But the speed that draws millions of customers can also mask new vulnerabilities, as Bengaluru resident Ankit Diwan discovered when he placed an order for a 5-gram gold coin through the Swiggy Instamart app.
Diwan, hoping to avoid the holiday rush at jewelry stores, opted for doorstep delivery. The courier arrived on time, the package appeared sealed, and the transaction seemed ordinary until Diwan opened the box in front of the delivery partner. Inside was not a gold coin worth thousands of rupees, but an old one-rupee coin.
The moment, captured on video by Diwan himself, spread rapidly across social media, sparking renewed warnings about high-value online purchases and the need for “open-box delivery” practices.
A Viral Video and a Customer’s Caution
Fortuitously, Diwan had insisted on checking the package before sharing an OTP. His recording shows the delivery partner standing beside him as the seal is broken. Both freeze in disbelief when the contents are revealed. Sharing the clip online, Diwan urged others to exercise caution:
“Please be careful. Never give an OTP without checking the package.”
The post resonated widely, with many users recalling similar experiences involving electronics, beauty products or premium goods delivered through instant-commerce apps.
Swiggy, acknowledging the seriousness of the complaint, issued a refund and assured that the matter would be investigated. Diwan later wrote that he hoped the company would also ensure “fair treatment for the delivery partner,” who appeared visibly distressed during the incident.
When Delivery Partners Bear the Pressure
Diwan’s follow-up note highlighted a less-discussed dimension of online fraud: the pressure placed on gig workers. Delivery partners who operate on daily wages and tight incentives often face blame for mishandled orders despite having little control over packaging or warehousing.
“He was almost in tears,” Diwan wrote, adding that many such agents fear termination or penalties even when they had no role in a discrepancy. Industry experts note that the expanding quick-commerce footprint has intensified stress along these last-mile links, where a single anomaly can cost a worker weeks of earnings.
The case underscores how easily suspicion can fall on frontline workers, even before investigations determine whether tampering occurred in transit, at warehouses, or more rarely through counterfeit return cycles.
A Moment of Satire, and a Deeper Commentary
As Diwan’s video circulated, he added a wry caption:
“Don’t trust everything on the internet, sir… it’s the age of AI.”
The remark was tongue-in-cheek, but it reflected a broader anxiety: the erosion of trust in digital systems that now mediate everything from banking to grocery shopping.
Online fraud complaints linked to delivery scams, fake refunds, swapped packages and OTP misuse have surged across India in recent years. Regulators and consumer-rights advocates have repeatedly called for stronger verification protocols for expensive products especially gold, smartphones, and luxury items now offered through instant-delivery apps.
