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Police are worried that identity fraudsters are behind the disappearance of packages containing passports.
The New Zealand Post parcels went missing between Auckland and the Indian High Commission in Wellington.
Mt Albert woman Vicki Whatley told the Herald that she and her partner sent their passports to the high commission on a "track and trace" courier run on February 11 so they could go to India for a two-week holiday.
When Ms Whatley did not receive the passports back, she contacted the high commission and was told the package had not arrived in Wellington.
She was told 13 other passports had also gone missing.
High commission staff were reluctant to discuss the matter last night.
But the Herald has learned that at least 13 courier envelopes - some of which may have contained more than one passport - went missing between February 10 and 13.
The Auckland City police district field crime manager, Detective Inspector Scott Beard, said he could not comment specifically about the 13 missing parcels because he was not aware of the case.
But passports going missing raised the possibility that they had been taken for identity theft.
"There's a global picture here and that's a concern," Mr Beard said.
"If the passports have gone missing and someone who shouldn't have them has got them, it is always a concern about illegal use of those passports and identify fraud."
New Zealand Post spokesman Keith Fitzpatrick said the company had started an inquiry with its security staff.
