Customs raid houses of Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj in Bhutan vehicle import case
According to Customs, several high-end vehicles were brought in from Bhutan as second-hand imports without tax payment.
According to Customs, several high-end vehicles were brought in from Bhutan as second-hand imports without tax payment.
According to Customs, several high-end vehicles were brought in from Bhutan as second-hand imports without tax payment.
Kochi: The Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive), Kochi, on Tuesday launched a massive statewide crackdown on the alleged illegal import of luxury vehicles through Bhutan. The customs officials raided the residences and premises of high-net-worth individuals, including film stars, industrialists, and senior officials. The team raided the houses of actor Dulquer Salman and Prithviraj in Kochi as part of the probe. It is learnt that they are examining the purchase of a vehicle by actor Amith Chakalakkal also.
Named 'Operation Numkhor', a Bhutanese word for vehicle, the operation covers nearly 30 locations across Kerala, including Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kuttippuram, and Thrissur.
Customs suspects that more than 100 high-end cars were illegally imported by declaring them as used vehicles routed through Bhutan. Luxury SUVs such as Land Cruisers, Prado, Land Rovers are reportedly among the smuggled vehicles. Vehicles originally sold for under ₹5 lakh in Bhutan reportedly fetched as much as ₹40 lakh once re-registered with Kerala numbers. Customs suspects that some of these vehicles were purchased by Malayalam actors.
A racket from Himachal Pradesh is allegedly behind this. “Indian law prohibits the import of second-hand vehicles. Our checks show 10 to 15 categories of violations, including forged entries on the Parivahan portal of the Motor Vehicles Department and falsified records on our systems,” officials said. Vehicles found without proper documentation are set to be seized, and their owners face stringent penalties.
According to investigators, the racket centred around 150 vehicles discarded by the Royal Bhutan Army. These were smuggled into India and registered in Himachal Pradesh, mainly under the HP-52 series, before being sold for up to four times their original value. Officials said the racket involved both agents and corrupt officials who facilitated the registration of these vehicles in Himachal Pradesh with forged No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to make them appear legitimate.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department has opened a parallel inquiry. MVD officials have joined the raids carried out by Customs.