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KOCHI<\/strong> \u2013 The Indian Customs department has initiated a major nationwide operation, “Operation Numkhor,” targeting an alleged racket involved in the illegal import and tax evasion of luxury vehicles. As part of this extensive crackdown, officials conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations in Kerala, including the residences of prominent Malayalam actors Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer Salmaan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n KOCHI \u2013 The Indian Customs department has initiated a major nationwide operation, “Operation Numkhor,” targeting an alleged racket involved in the illegal import and tax evasion of luxury vehicles. As part of this extensive crackdown, officials conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations in Kerala, including the residences of prominent Malayalam actors Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kerala"],"yoast_head":"\n
The operation, whose name “Numkhor” means “vehicle” in the Bhutanese language, is focused on a scheme where high-end vehicles are allegedly smuggled into India from Bhutan to evade high customs duties. According to sources within the Customs Preventive wing, the investigation began after intelligence revealed that vehicles, including decommissioned Bhutan Army cars, were being brought into India and registered using forged documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Details of the Investigation<\/strong>
Modus Operandi: The network allegedly exploits loopholes in the Indo-Bhutan trade rules. The luxury vehicles are imported to Bhutan, where they are subject to different tax structures, and then illegally smuggled into India. Once in India, they are registered using fabricated documents, often as “used” vehicles, to avoid the heavy import duties applicable to new luxury cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Widespread Raids: Customs officials carried out raids at approximately 30 locations across five districts in Kerala, including Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Thrissur. In addition to the actors’ homes, the raids also targeted the residences of prominent businessmen and vehicle dealerships suspected of being involved in the racket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celebrity Involvement: The raids at the homes of Prithviraj and Dulquer Salmaan in Kochi were reportedly conducted to examine the documents of their luxury vehicles. While officials visited Prithviraj’s house in Thiruvananthapuram as well, they reportedly found no suspicious vehicles there and left without making any seizures. No official statements have been made regarding the involvement of the actors, and the investigation is currently focused on verifying the legitimacy of the vehicles in their possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extent of the Racket: Sources suggest that the Customs department has identified over 100 premium vehicles illegally imported through this network. The investigation has uncovered approximately 15 different types of violations, including forgeries on the Motor Vehicles department’s “Parivahan” website and other official records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is understood to have provided the initial tip-off, leading to a coordinated effort by state enforcement agencies under the supervision of the Customs Commissioner for Kerala and Lakshadweep. Officials have stated that any illegally imported vehicles found without proper documentation will be seized, and the owners will face punitive measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The raids mark a significant development in a nationwide effort to dismantle organized vehicle smuggling rings that cause substantial losses to the government exchequer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"