A multimillion-dollar scam has shaken Mumbai’s cargo corridors, and the exporters who witnessed two ships disappear from their routes suffered not only financially but also a loss of faith in an industry that largely works according to schedules and paperwork.
The complaint initiated a probe by Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which outlined a setup for shipping-and-logistics fraud through various organisations led by ALX Shipping Agencies India Pvt Ltd and its affiliated companies. According to the complaint, the fraud caused losses amounting to crores of rupees, leaving exporters with losses between ₹325 crore and USD 36.6 million (assuming the prevailing market rate of ₹88.7/USD on October 2, 2025).
What might seem like a twist in the thriller novel of maritime business began with standard business dealings. According to the complaint, the initial transactions went well enough to lull investors into a sense of confidence. The problems began when two vessels carrying cargo worth crores — Leela Mombasa and XXH-2 — were redirected and delayed, initiating a cascade of penalties, demurrage charges, and lost sales for export. The Leela Mombasa was scheduled to arrive at Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) on August 1, rerouted it to Oman, and weeks later arrived in Djibouti. The XXH-2 was rerouted from Jeddah to Karachi, remaining in port for over ten days. The complaint contends that these delays were only to get the shipper to get more money with these pretences and use the delays to obscure operational problems.
Other than using confusing shipping terminology, the mechanics of it are very simple and alarming: investigators believe that the accused demanded USD 1 million mid-operation – Mehta alleges that was made under duress – and issued security cheques that bounced or were fraudulently signed. If the allegations hold true, the actions taken are not simply a single transgression of time but are described as “a well-planned conspiracy” involving both Indian and international people and companies that have been named and described as hubs in Dubai and Mumbai.
Why is such an incident important beyond the short-term impact on balance sheets? Nhava Sheva (JNPT) is one of India’s most important container gateways; disruptions there have direct ramifications for supply chains that move textiles, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and so on. Shipping is also highly interconnected these days: transshipment hubs, such as Djibouti — located strategically near the mouth of the Red Sea and Suez Canal — handle a large share of the world’s traffic, so diversion or delays at sea can amplify losses on a global scale. Simply put, when a single link in the logistics chain experiences an adverse impact, the ramifications rapidly escalate.
The EOW’s probes into logistics fraud have started issuing summons and will start recording its cases from the accused; this list will include names from the complaint plus companies with domestic business and ties overseas. Officials say that the probe will include a review of shipping records, container manifests, diversion orders and the transactions that followed. For exporters operating on very low margins in already disrupted supply chains, these fraudulent activities can mean the difference between profit and bankruptcy; complicating this situation for the industry is how such activities cast doubt on due diligence, auditing of third-party agents and the level of transparency provided by cargo tracking in real time.
This matter also highlights an overarching frailty: global shipping operates as much on trust as it does on steel and fuel. As ports expand – JNPT in India recently opened terminals designed to increase capacity as ships get larger and larger … – the associated administration and oversight will also expand. Weighing in with robust checks, expedited incident reporting and stronger legal cooperation across borders will be crucial if the shipping sector wants to protect itself from schemes that exploit the opaqueness of cross-jurisdictional shipping.
For now, the EOW’s investigation is the next part of the story. If the claims are substantiated, the fallout will encompass criminal charges, civil lawsuits against exporters affected by the incident, and perhaps most importantly, renewed pressure on carriers and freight forwarders to create a more transparent system for the shipping of goods. As investigators extract and resample the trail of paper, this case also serves to provide an acute reminder – in a world of timestamps and the age-old bill of lading, capturing or diverting a ship can amount to much more than a valued cargo – it can erode trust.
