Operation Numkhor: Customs seize three more SUVs; two 'linked' to actor Amith Chakkalackal

Kochi: The Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Kochi, seized three more vintage SUVs on Thursday evening as part of Operation Numkhor. According to the Customs, the vehicles — a Nissan Patrol, a Nissan Pickup Truck, and a Toyota Prado — were found concealed under tarpaulin sheets in a yard in Kochi. The seizure followed a tip-off received by Customs officials.

According to Customs sources, two of the three vehicles are allegedly linked to actor Amith Chakkalackal. Officials said, "We suspect that two of the newly seized vehicles belong to Amith Chakkalackal, but whether they are registered in his name has to be confirmed. We are verifying the papers." Customs had earlier seized a Toyota Land Cruiser owned by the actor.

However, Chakkalackal denied any connection with the newly seized SUVs. Speaking to Onmanorama, he said, "The three vehicles said to have been seized are not mine. They belonged to other people and were parked in a plot near a garage in Pottakuzhy. They were brought for maintenance. All of them have the requisite papers, too."

The vehicles were already on the Customs radar as part of the ongoing crackdown on luxury cars suspected to have been smuggled from Bhutan into India and re-registered here using forged documents. Officials said several such vehicles were hidden by their owners after reports of Operation Numkhor surfaced.

Customs estimate that more than 100 such illegally imported vehicles may still be in Kerala. Efforts are underway to trace them with the assistance of the State Police and the Motor Vehicles Department.

With Thursday’s seizure, the total number of vehicles confiscated under Operation Numkhor has risen to 43. Customs had earlier seized 40 vehicles since September 23.