Vijay Kashyap, 35, skidded on his scooty and hit the asphalt near Belapur, Navi Mumbai, in 2025 while working as a delivery agent for quick commerce platforms. While Kashyap suffered minor injuries, he was left shaken and never returned to making deliveries.

“I already had a job as a driver for someone. My friends told me I could earn some extra cash as a delivery partner after I finished my chauffeur duty,” recalls Kashyap, who moved to Navi Mumbai from his hometown in Uttar Pradesh more than 15 years ago. “The accident happened around 1 am so I went home and went to the hospital the next day. I had never been as scared as I was at that moment. All I could think of was my wife and two children back home — I was doing it all for them but if I would not be around at all, what’s the point?” he adds with a wry smile.