Customs officials carried out raids across Kerala, including the homes of actors Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in Kochi. The operation, named “Operation Numkhor”, targets luxury vehicles brought through middlemen from Bhutan and sold locally without paying taxes.
Officials conducted simultaneous checks in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Malappuram. They reported investigating around 15 cases of tax evasion involving high-end vehicles. At the film stars’ residences, customs teams are examining vehicle documents.
The raids also covered major car showrooms across the state. Enforcement agencies focused on seizing vehicles lacking proper documentation and plan to issue formal notices to owners of seized cars.
Investigations show that eight types of high-end vehicles were imported via Bhutan as second-hand cars to evade taxes. These cars were initially registered in Himachal Pradesh and then re-registered in other states, often with altered registration numbers to hide their origin.
Authorities stress that such sophisticated methods highlight the need for strict enforcement in the luxury car market. Operation Numkhor aims to stop tax evasion and ensure transparency in vehicle imports.
