Kochi: Raids were conducted at the residences of leading Mollywood actor Prithviraj Sukumaran and actor-producer Dulquer Salmaan by the customs department in search of foreign luxury vehicles brought into the country without paying duties.
This is part of a nationwide crackdown codenamed “Numkhor” (which means “vehicle” in the Bhutanese language), targeting a racket allegedly involved in tax evasion and illegal vehicle imports.
Raids were carried out at Prithviraj’s house in Thevara and Dulquer’s residence in Panampilly Nagar. Officials also visited Prithviraj’s Thiruvananthapuram home, but no suspicious vehicles were found there.
Nearly 30 locations across Kochi, Kozhikode, and Malappuram are being searched in connection with the case. Officials claimed that around 11 vehicles have been seized so far.
The operation is based on intelligence reports that decommissioned Bhutan Army vehicles, auctioned at low prices, were smuggled into India without paying customs duties. These high-quality vehicles were allegedly transported to Himachal Pradesh, registered using temporary addresses, and later sold at inflated prices to high-profile people, including film stars and businessmen.
Sources say a well-organised network of agents has been facilitating these transactions, exploiting legal loopholes in Indo-Bhutan trade agreements. While the vehicles are legally auctioned in Bhutan, their import and resale without proper taxation constitute a violation of Indian customs laws.
Customs authorities have compiled a list of recipients of these vehicles, which reportedly includes celebrities. The raids at the actors’ homes are based on suspicions that such illegally imported vehicles may also have been purchased by them.
