Hyderabad Woman Alleges Swiggy Genie Delivery Partner Stole Laptop, Demands ₹15,000 for Its Return

In a shocking incident, a Hyderabad-based civil engineer, Nishitha Gudipudi, has claimed that a Swiggy Genie delivery partner stole her husband’s laptop and then demanded Rs 15,000 for its return. Nishitha took to LinkedIn to share the distressing experience, which has raised concerns about the security of using delivery services for valuable items.

According to Ms. Gudipudi, her husband had booked a Swiggy Genie service a few days ago to transfer his backpack containing a laptop from one office to another in Madhapur, Hyderabad. The delivery partner picked up the backpack, but during the journey, he switched off his phone, leaving the couple in a state of panic.

"He basically stole the laptop and initially we thought okay partially error at our end too to use Genie to deliver the laptop but how things took a turn after is what really surprised and scared us," Ms. Gudipudi wrote in her LinkedIn post.

When the couple contacted Swiggy's customer care, they were met with a baffling response. The customer care team was unable to identify the delivery agent associated with their booking and even sent two different pictures, asking the couple to confirm which individual had picked up the parcel. This raised serious concerns about the integrity of Swiggy’s verification system.

Check out the Viral Post:

Ms. Gudipudi and her husband suspected that Swiggy’s system might allow a person to register using their Aadhaar or PAN and then permit others to use their credentials. This loophole could potentially lead to misuse, as illustrated by their experience.

The "most of all the scariest part," according to Ms. Gudipudi, was when they finally managed to reach the Swiggy agent via WhatsApp. The delivery executive claimed that his friend had used his login credentials. "I'll check and get back," the agent told the couple. However, shortly after this conversation, they received a message from the same number demanding ₹15,000 to have the laptop delivered through Rapido.

In her LinkedIn post, Ms. Gudipudi shared screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation between her husband and the individual who demanded the money. She also included pictures of the man registered with Swiggy and another man whom Swiggy’s system allegedly allowed to log in through facial recognition.

The incident has sparked widespread concern, especially among those who use Swiggy Genie and similar services for the transportation of valuable items. The couple's experience underscores the potential risks of using delivery services that may have security vulnerabilities, and it raises questions about the measures companies are taking to protect their users.

Users Reaction to the Viral Post:

“What you did was wrong. You should have contacted police. Set a trap and put this guy behind bars. Once a few of them are behind bars things will get better,” said one of the users. 

Another one said, “Luckily, you are in Hyderabad, a city known for having the best police force. Just go ahead and file a complaint; you will be pleasantly surprised to see how easily this whole issue will be resolved. It won’t take more than two days.

In my case, the Hyderabad police caught a car driver who was driving rashly. He was the ninth owner of the car without an RC transfer, yet they managed to bring him to the police station by the second day.”

“Wait till you book your house shifting nightmare with some local movers … first 10 k as shifting cost then he comes up with 5 random guys picks up everything and then switch off phone for next 3-4 hours. Then you ask what happened he will say accident and demand 20k immediate otherwise he can not deliver. You pay then he again comes and deamnd gor his labour loading unloading charges usually 1 k per person and then their expenses so you will feel like why dis i book. So this is becoming normal in India.”

The post has got more than 5,000 reactions with close to 300 comments. Swiggy has yet to issue a public statement regarding the incident, but the story has already garnered significant attention on social media, with many users expressing their concerns about the safety and reliability of such services.