Idukki: The Customs Department conducted inspections in Adimali and seized a car belonging to a social media influencer as part of Operation Numkhor, a nationwide crackdown aimed at tracing luxury vehicles smuggled into India through Bhutan to evade crores in taxes.

The seized vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, belongs to Shilpa Surendran, a Thiruvananthapuram resident popularly known on social media as 'Chippu LC Girl'. Shilpa had purchased the car from dealers in Tirur, Malappuram, in September 2023. The vehicle was originally registered in Karnataka, and the Tirur-based dealers reportedly produced a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and RC book from the Karnataka transport department at the time of sale.

The vehicle was currently brought to a workshop in Adimali for mechanical repairs and painting work. It was during this period that Customs officers inspected the workshop and seized the car for investigation.

Shilpa revealed that she bought the 1996 model Land Cruiser for ₹15 lakh, using her savings from her teaching job. She expressed concern that if the vehicle is confiscated permanently, she would lose her entire savings.

Sources said the car has had five previous owners, with Shilpa being the current and fifth owner. It is believed that the vehicle was originally purchased from Coimbatore by its earlier owners in Karnataka before it was sold to the Malappuram dealers.

Customs suspects that over 1,000 luxury vehicles have been smuggled into the country through tax evasion routes, with around 200 of them currently in Kerala. So far, only 36 vehicles have been traced and seized, while the search continues for the remaining ones.