Operation Numkhor: Luxury car smuggling racket used forged Royal Bhutan Army seals to deceive buyers
Operations of the racket in India are managed by a Nagaland native, and a Malayali agent working under him facilitated the sale of some of these cars in Kerala, including to prominent actors.
Operations of the racket in India are managed by a Nagaland native, and a Malayali agent working under him facilitated the sale of some of these cars in Kerala, including to prominent actors.
Operations of the racket in India are managed by a Nagaland native, and a Malayali agent working under him facilitated the sale of some of these cars in Kerala, including to prominent actors.
Kochi: The central investigative agencies probing the smuggling of stolen luxury cars to India via Bhutan through Operation Numkhor have identified a former official of the Royal Bhutan Army as the kingpin of the racket.
Operations of the racket in India are managed by a Nagaland native, and a Malayali agent working under him facilitated the sale of some of these cars in Kerala, including to prominent actors. All three individuals are now under Customs surveillance.
To impress buyers, the racket produced forged sale certificates bearing counterfeit seals of the Field 9 Ordnance Depot (9 OFOD) of the Indian Army, located in Kandrori in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh.
The first clue to the racket emerged when Customs seized a container carrying dismantled luxury cars in Coimbatore two years ago. Since then, the agencies have also gathered evidence indicating that the gang has also smuggled gold, narcotics, and arms into India alongside luxury vehicles.
Operation Numkhor is a crackdown launched by Indian Customs (Preventive) aimed at uncovering and seizing luxury vehicles illegally imported into India from Bhutan using forged documents, tax evasion, money laundering and other related illicit activities. As part of the operation, cars owned by film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amith Chakalakkal have also come under scrutiny. Customs Preventive Commissioner T Tiju recently stated that over 200 Bhutan-registered vehicles are suspected of operating in Kerala.