A POSTMAN with a gambling addiction rifled through customers’ mail hunting for pin numb-ers and debit cards, a court heard.

Royal Mail investigators found a stash of ripped-up financial mail, rental DVDs and home shopping products when they raided the home of Naushad Panwaskar, Reedley magistrates were told.

Random spot checks were carried out at Burnley sorting office last November, amid concern that items were being lost on certain rounds.

And when Panwaskar, 44, of Weavers Court, Preston New Road, Blackburn, was approached about the matter he started acting susp-iciously, initially refusing to allow officials to check his car, or one of his bags.

Investigators could see a white binbag containing up to 30 postal packets in his vehicle, but he drove his car off. Returning 10 minutes later, the packets were seen to be gone.

Patrick Ryan, prosecuting on behalf of the Royal Mail, said a search of his car revealed two ‘Love Film’ rental DVDs and two postal packets, and Panwaskar had £625 on his person.

A further search of his home uncovered a stack of financial mail, nearly 100 rental DVDs, jewellery and beauty products, in various names.

Mr Ryan said it was the pros-ecution’s case that Panwaskar had secured pin numbers from bank letters, then waited for the customers’ cards to be delivered later.

One victim, Steven Hefford, noticed a large number of unauthorised transactions, being made via his bank account, for gambling site Dabs.com Days later he was told he had insufficient funds after £440 was withdrawn from his account after two transactions, made from a cash machine either side of midnight.

Mr Ryan said when interviewed, Panswakar admitted carrying out the thefts for up to three months but, judging by the correspondence seized, it appeared to have been going on for considerably longer.

He added: “This was a man who was in a considerable position of trust. He breached this extensively and repeatedly, particuarly by stealing those most valuable items, like financial mail, which cause the most worry when they go missing.”

John Clish, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had not been using the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, but had been funding his living expenses using money he stole.

The defendant, who had seen a long-term relationship end in the wake of the offences, was now suiffering from depression, he added.

Panswakar admitted five offences of theft and was committed to Burnley Crown Court for sentence.