A container filled with hair goods (cargo value exceeds one million US dollars) was transported from Shanghai Port in China to Durban Port in South Africa. Upon arrival, it was transported by truck to a warehouse in Johannesburg and was robbed near the warehouse, resulting in the loss of the entire container of goods.

After receiving the commission, by analyzing the case based on our experience with similar cases, we found that the robbery techniques in the case were committed by habitual criminals. Therefore, the conventional survey and investigation operations are difficult to assist in this case, especially in assisting the client in mitigating losses. Through communication with the client, it is agreed that our company initiated a special investigation mode to handle this robbery accident.

Through our founder's powerful connections, we have reached out to the head of a local Chinese organization in Johannesburg, which provides services to local Chinese throughout the year to safeguard their interests and safety as much as possible. The PIC has been exposed to similar robbery and theft cases before, and his strong local government connections have enabled the investigation to be proceed quickly. During the investigation, we found some suspicious points as follows:

Ø  The warehouse administrator holds the only warehouse key but has not received notification of delivery of the goods, and is unaware of the robbery case;

Ø  The unloading workers were not arranged in advance. The storage space in the warehouse is too small to store the entire container of goods;

        Ø  The received warehouse is normally open at 0800 am, but the driver was required to transport the goods to the required location before 0700 am

Ø  The land carrier cooperated with the customs clearance agent for the first time, but there was no written agreement between them, and they were unable to provide emails or other written documents related to the operation;

Ø  The legal person information of the foreign consignee does not match, and there is a discrepancy between the company's registered location information and the bill of lading.

Ø  There is an improper business relationship between the local claimant and the shipper.

When conducting further investigations into the above doubts, significant caution and pressure were clearly placed on the parties involved. Under pressure, the insured alleged that the goods have been found and withdraw the claim.

Through our company's efforts to investigate, the client's losses of millions of dollars were successfully avoided.