The stolen chemicals and drugs are reportedly replaced by inferior goods. Earlier such pilferages of material belonging to units of Vapi and Sarigam was restricted to their input raw materials to the extent of about 0.5 per cent, which rendered it difficult to detect and prevent. But of late, high-priced finished products from the export consignments are pilfered and replaced by inferior quality goods.

Well-known companies like Aarti Industries Ltd, Bhageri Dye Chem Ltd, Chemie Synth, United Phosphorous Ltd, Supreet Chemicals, Sarna Chemicals, Bhansali Organics Ltd, Gujarat Nitrites, Jyoti Chemicals, Alchemie Organics Ltd and Alchemie Industries which have their industrial units at Vapi - Sarigam are saddled with export rejects.

Approximately consignments worth Rs 50 crore have come back and more are expected.Vapi Industries Association and Sarigam Association are collecting the figure of losses borne by units.

The pilferage mostly take place on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway between Talasari and Manor before the consignment reaches Mumbai/Nhava-Sheva.Mumbai - Ahmedabad is a fast upcoming industrial Belt. A number of chemical and pharmaceutical companies have come up in the area and enter the business of transports to avoid suspicion. These fly-by-night operators have make-shift offices and hire trucks to do their business of replacing goods with inferior material.

The hideouts are well equipped. They have facilities for loading and unloading of goods, testing facilities for chemicals, presence of employed chemists for the work, welding facilities for chemicals, welding machines, weighing instruments, sewing machines etc.

As soon as a truck starts after loading the goods from Vapi, Sarigam or Ahmedabad; the driver, cleaner or helper calls the boss on his cellular and informs about the quality, quantity andprice of the goods loaded onto the truck. Immediately the boss contacts his traders in Vapi and Mumbai to provide the information of the consignment. These traders in turn book orders from business at a discount of 10 per cent to 20 per cent from the prevailing market price and collect entire amount in cash. World renowned companies like Sandoz, Hoechst, Ciba and Bayer, who come to know about such mixing, immediately inform their associates about the same through their computer network. Due to this action, the concerned Indian supplier is blacklisted through out the world for no fault of theirs.

The rejection of consignments like these renders the Indian exporters with blockage of funds and other financial problems. It has to face and pay claims worth crore of rupees. Association of several years with foreign buyers comes to an end and very often companies lose clients permanently because of this criminal activity of gangsters.

Insurance companies are also worried about such scale organised theft andpilferage and have drawn attention of the Government to these nefarious activities. In spite of large scale attention being drawn these anti national activities are flourishing unabated on the highways.