Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Mar 18: In an incident that smacks of irresponsibility, a bundle of answer sheets of state second PU exam was found on the roadside in Karkala, which was later handed over to the police by a citizen who spotted it.

In what could have put the future of many students in jeopardy, the postal department on Wednesday, March 16 misplaced a bundle of answer sheets. The postal department had sent seven bundles of answer sheets of Karkala taluk's second PU colleges to Mangaluru railway mail service from Karkala main post office by a private bus. The bundle was then to be sent to Mysuru railway mail service from Mangaluru.

After the bundles reached Mangaluru RMS, one set of answer sheets was found to be missing, with officials at Mangaluru RMS receiving only six bundles of answer sheets instead of seven. On the same day, H V Gundanna, post-master of main post office in Karkala filed a police complaint about the missing bundle of answer sheets.

Fortunately, a responsible citizen found the bundle of answer sheets fallen on the roadside and submitted it to Moodbidri police station.

It is learnt that the missing answer sheets were of Government Pre-University College, Karkala and a private PU college in the same taluk.

Sources said that the missing bundle of answer sheets somehow 'fell out' of the bus on the way to Mangaluru. A local, who found the bundle at Jain Pete, handed it over to Moodbidri police station. The bundle was then passed on it Mangaluru rural police, and from there, Bantwal sub-divisional postal supervisor Goveas sent it to Mangaluru RMS office.

The bundle of answer sheets was then sent to Mysuru RMS, and fortunately, it reached its destination safely.

All said and done, it was sheer luck that the answer sheets were found. It is hard to imagine the consequences if the bundle had gone lost. Kudos to the locals who showed good presence of mind in picking up the bundle and handing it over to the police.