Goa, June 23 -- Customs officials at Mumbai's Foreign Post Office facility-which has jurisdiction over Goa-appear to be taking away law-abiding citizens of their hard-earned money. Nearly every parcel sent by friends or family abroad via India Post now seems to attract customs duty, regardless of its contents.

My daughter, who lives in Australia, recently sent me a parcel containing a small purse, two items of clothing, and a photo album of my granddaughter's pictures. These were clearly personal gifts with no commercial value, correctly declared as such on the customs form. Yet, I received a call from the post office asking me to pay Rs 1,500 in customs duty. When I questioned it, the staff said everyone pays without protest, claiming i...