ED summons Dulquer Salmaan after raid at his Kochi residence

Kochi: The Kochi Zonal Office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has summoned actor Dulquer Salmaan in connection with the seizure of his three high-end pre-owned SUVs by the Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Kochi, last month.

According to ED sources, Dulquer was summoned from Chennai after enforcement officials conducted a raid at his Kochi residence on Wednesday morning. The actor appeared before agency officials later in the day. 

The summons is part of a wider probe into possible violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) linked to the purchase of several luxury vehicles seized earlier by Customs. Since morning, the ED has carried out searches at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu, many of which are premises previously covered in Customs operations. The agency also raided the houses of Prithviraj and Amith Chakkalackal. 

Customs had earlier seized Dulquer’s two Land Rover Defenders and a Nissan Patrol as part of Operation Numkhor, an investigation into the alleged smuggling of high-value pre-owned vehicles from Bhutan into India. The ED’s inquiry now focuses on the financial transactions and cross-border payments involved in these purchases.

Earlier this week, Dulquer had moved the Kerala High Court seeking the release of one of his Defenders, claiming it was legally purchased and registered. On Tuesday, the court directed him to approach the adjudicating authority under the Customs Act to request the release of the vehicle, while instructing Customs to decide on such applications within one week.

During the hearing, the court also criticised Customs for publicly revealing the names of vehicle owners whose cars were seized and questioned the basis of its claim that the vehicles carried fake registrations. The judge sought clarity on whether the department had conducted any preliminary inquiry before effecting the seizures.

The ED investigation now adds a financial crime dimension to what began as a Customs operation targeting luxury car smuggling networks across South India.