Postal worker hoards 10,000 letters, catalogs and newspapers in Berlin

By Dirk Boettger

On Tuesday evening, the police cleared bags full of undelivered mail from an apartment in Alt-Hohenschönhausen.

While the police officers carry the mail sack after sack out of the apartment on Simon-Bolivar-Strasse, the delivery lady, completely overwhelmed, stands in the hallway. She doesn’t seem to know what’s happening to her.

Stacked to the ceiling: delivery lady hoards 10,000 letters, catalogues, newspapers

The woman is standing in the hallway while the officers are getting the embezzled mail from the apartment Photo: Spreepicture

Postal service provider had suspicions

A postal service provider had found out about the woman. According to initial findings, the company intentionally sent letters equipped with a transmitter to determine the location of the shipments.

Instead of ending up with the recipients, the letters simply didn’t leave the delivery lady’s address. The police were called in and the woman’s apartment was inspected.

The officials were amazed: The entire apartment was filled to the ceiling with letters, catalogues, newspapers and magazines. The police alerted the Berlin fire brigade and asked for help in clearing the apartment.

However, the fire brigade refused, but sent protective suits and gloves for the officers.

The police and postal service providers are clearing out in unison

Three police officers now helped the company to clear the apartment. Several employees of the postal service provider, together with the police, spent several hours loading the stolen papers from the house into two vans.

Dozens of times, officials always came out of the ground floor apartment with at least two full sacks of mail and brought them into the hallway to be pre-sorted. According to current knowledge, some postal items are even said to have been “gnawed at”. It was not possible to determine on site whether the woman had pets or vermin in the apartment.

Delivery lady hoards over 10,000 letters, catalogues, newspapers

Two vans were loaded with the embezzled mail Photo: Spreepicture

Officers filled a variety of bags kindly provided by the delivery lady. Among other things, documents from October 2021 were found. How long the woman did not do her job in detail is the subject of the ongoing investigation.

The woman is now expecting several reports, including the violation of § 202, violation of the secrecy of letters and embezzlement. The letters are supposed to be delivered later, this time by reliable employees.

ttn-27