In a major crackdown on illegal luxury Vehicle Smuggling, agents from the Customs Preventive Commissionerate conducted simultaneous raids at about 30 locations across Kerala. They seized 36 high-end cars that allegedly smuggled into India from Bhutan using fake documents.
Commissioner T Tiju said that the operation, named Operation Numkhor (the Bhutanese word for “vehicle”), included searches at the homes of actors Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan, and Amit Chakkalackal, among others.
Raid in Actors house in Vehicle Smuggling case
He emphasized that if smugglers can move cars, gold, and drugs like this, they can bring in anything else. This poses a significant threat to the national and economic security of the country, according to a PTI report.
In addition to the smuggling, the Customs Preventive team is investigating related illegal activities, such as income tax and GST evasion, money laundering, and whether the profits used for financing terrorism.
Modus Operandi
Investigators found that the Vehicle Smuggling chain used advanced techniques to get vehicles registered in India. Some cars taken apart and brought in as parts; others hidden in containers or driven across the border disguised as “tourist vehicles.” Once in the country, the vehicles received fake registration papers with seals from the Indian Army and even foreign embassies, including the US Embassy, to seem authentic.
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