Customs Commissioner T Tiju, who held a press briefing in Kochi, confirmed that vehicles belonging to actors Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amit Chakkalakkal are involved in the probe.
Published Sep 24, 2025 | 10:38 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2025 | 10:38 AM
Illegally imported vehicles. Representative Image. (iStock).jpg
Synopsis: The Kochi unit of Customs revealed that high-profile individuals, including well-known Malayalam film actors, are under investigation for importing vehicles into India from Bhutan illegally. The raids are part of a nationwide operation to probe the alleged smuggling of high-end vehicles through Bhutan by evading customs duties.
In a major crackdown on vehicle smuggling, the Kochi unit of Customs in Kerala on Tuesday, 23 September, revealed that high-profile individuals, including well-known Malayalam film actors, are under investigation for importing vehicles into India from Bhutan illegally.
Customs Commissioner T Tiju, who held a press briefing in Kochi, confirmed that vehicles belonging to actors Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amit Chakkalakkal are involved in the probe.
According to the Commissioner, two vehicles registered in Dulquer Salmaan’s name have already been taken into custody. While a vehicle in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s name has been identified, it has not yet been recovered. Amit Chakkalakkal reportedly has six vehicles seized in today’s operations.
According to available information, the raids were part of Operation Numkhor targeting suspected smuggled vehicles. Amit Chakkalackal responded to the media that he has been using his current car for the past five years and has not purchased any vehicle from Bhutan.
The raids are part of a nationwide operation to probe the alleged smuggling of high-end vehicles through Bhutan by evading customs duties. In Kerala, inspections were carried out at 30 locations across five districts, in coordination with the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD).
Sources said the investigation relates to Dulquer’s Nissan Patrol and Prithviraj’s Land Rover Defender, allegedly purchased through middlemen who routed the vehicles into India using forged registrations.
The modus operandi under probe involves importing cars into Bhutan, registering them there, and later transferring them to Indian states — first Himachal Pradesh, and subsequently Kerala — at reduced tax rates.
Customs said about 150–200 cars were smuggled through a Coimbatore-based network, illegally registered in Himachal Pradesh, and then brought to Kerala. Inspections were also held at the residences of industrialists and at luxury car dealerships in the state.
Sources said the Customs raid uncovered 198 luxury vehicles imported from Bhutan to India by evading taxes. Authorities are investigating the number of these vehicles that are currently in Kerala. The information about the imports was obtained from official records, including data from vehicle dealers.
During the ongoing probe, around 20 luxury SUVs have been seized from the state, with 11 recovered from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. The seized vehicles will be sent to the Customs office at Karipur Airport.
Meanwhile, Customs has also learned that senior Union government officials had purchased some of these vehicles. The buyers include the Director of the National TB Institute and the Secretary of the Central Silk Board, with both vehicles currently in Bengaluru.
Authorities from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the MVD have uncovered a major smuggling network involving around 150 vintage vehicles, such as Land Cruisers, Land Rovers, and Tata SUVs, previously owned by the Royal Bhutan Army.
These vehicles were reportedly sold through auctions in Bhutan before being illicitly brought into India. To avoid detection, many were initially registered in Himachal Pradesh under the HP-52 series, and later sold in Kerala, sometimes after being modified and re-registered under the KL series.
The press briefing of Commissioner T Tiju was ended midway after he received a phone call while disclosing the information.
The Customs Commissioner explained that these vehicles were registered in the names of the Indian Army and the US Embassy using forged documents and manipulations of the Parivahan portal.
Officials say that approximately 200 such vehicles have entered Kerala through these illegal means, with 36 seized during coordinated inspections at over 30 locations across the state on Tuesday.
Tiju clarified that while India allows the import of personal vehicles that have been used abroad for at least three years, importing second-hand vehicles directly from Bhutan, as in these cases, is illegal. “This is not a matter that can be resolved by paying a fine,” he said.
Actors whose vehicles were seized will be summoned to appear in person, along with all relevant documents. Authorities will determine whether the actors were aware of the illegal activities associated with the import of their vehicles.
Further investigations will explore potential money laundering linked to the cross-border imports. Depending on the findings, the case may be transferred to other investigative agencies for deeper scrutiny. The Commissioner also acknowledged the assistance provided by the state’s Anti-Terror Squad and Motor Vehicles Department during the raids.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will probe black money transactions, while the central GST department will handle tax evasion. State police will investigate fake documentation, including fraud linked to the Parivahan portal.
The operation, code-named Numkhor (Bhutanese for vehicle), targeted cars discarded by the Bhutanese army and sold illegally in India. Stars and others had spent over ₹25 lakh on these vehicles.
Reportedly, investigators have found black money deals, forged embassy and military papers, and tampered e-vehicle registrations. The racket worked by dismantling vehicles in Bhutan, smuggling the parts into India, and reassembling them.
Another loophole exploited was the allowance for Bhutanese citizens to bring their cars across the border.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
