Kerala Customs officials have busted a luxury car smuggling ring, seizing multiple SUVs and arresting a showroom owner in 'Operation Numkhor', an investigation into vehicles smuggled from Nepal and Bhutan.
Key Points
- Kerala Customs seized multiple SUVs as part of 'Operation Numkhor', targeting luxury car smuggling.
- A used luxury car showroom owner was arrested in connection with the smuggling probe.
- The investigation revealed a network smuggling vehicles from Nepal and Bhutan into India.
- A Nissan Patrol SUV featured in a Malayalam film starring Dulquer Salmaan was among the seized vehicles.
- The seized vehicles are valued at over Rs 1.5 crore, highlighting the scale of the smuggling operation.
The Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Kochi, has seized multiple SUVs, including one featured in a Malayalam film starring Dulquer Salmaan, and arrested a used luxury car showroom owner as part of a smuggling probe, officials said on Friday.
The action was part of 'Operation Numkhor', an ongoing investigation into the smuggling of luxury vehicles from Nepal and Bhutan.
Details of Operation Numkhor
Officials said the operation was launched last year following a tip-off that a large number of vehicles from Bhutan and Nepal were being brought into various parts of India in violation of norms, allegedly in connivance with officials in transport departments across states.
During the investigation, Customs arrested Deepak Potawary, District Transport Officer of Bongaigaon in Assam, after it was found that 464 vehicles from Bhutan were registered using fake or forged documents at the Bongaigaon Regional Transport Office, with many shown as having first registration in Lakshadweep.
Key Players in the Smuggling Network
Officials said the probe revealed that Biswajit Das, the alleged kingpin of the racket, sourced several smuggled SUVs from Bhutan and routed them to Kerala through a Delhi-based intermediary.
The vehicles were reportedly sold to Roadway Cars in Kozhikode, and investigations indicated that its partner, Zain Marva, was directly linked to the smuggling network and involved in distributing the vehicles in Kerala, officials said.
Seizure and Arrests
Customs on Friday seized seven SUVs from various parts of the state and arrested Marva for his alleged role in smuggling vehicles from Bhutan to Kerala, officials said.
The seized vehicles are valued at over Rs 1.5 crore.
Dulquer Salmaan Film Connection
In addition, a Nissan Patrol SUV featured in the Malayalam film 'Lucky Baskhar', starring Dulquer Salmaan, was also seized.
The vehicle was seized from Eldho Paul, who runs the used car showroom Signature Cars in Kalamassery, near Kochi.
Customs officials said they are examining whether the vehicle had any ownership link to the actor.
They added that evidence has emerged indicating the seized SUV was illegally imported into India through the Bhutan-Nepal route.
Earlier, Customs, as part of Operation Numkhor, had seized several SUVs, including those allegedly linked to actors Salmaan and Amit Chakkalakkal.
