• Source:JND
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The residences of Malayalam film stars Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in Kochi were raided by the officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Customs in connection with alleged tax evasion on luxury cars. The department is carrying out a nationwide operation under the ‘Numkhor’ codename.

The operation, which includes inspections at the residences of high-profile people, is taking place at 30 locations across Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts, with Kerala emerging as a key area.

Besides other key sites, the houses of celebrated actors Prithviraj and Dulquer Salmaan were also raided. The raid is focused on Kerala-based high-profile personalities.

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Authorities, reportedly, also visited Prithviraj’s house in Thiruvananthapuram, but they could not locate the suspected vehicles at the actor’s home. The inspections were also taking place at prominent car showrooms across the state.

Luxury Vehicles Smuggled Into India Via Bhutan

Custom officials, working with the motor vehicle department, are carrying out the operation ‘Numkhor’ to trace a network allegedly involved in smuggling luxury cars into India from Bhutan by evading taxes. Numkhor means vehicle in Bhutanese.

Officials have said that they will seize the vehicle from wherever it is found and serve notice to the people from whom the vehicles will be seized, and they will be asked to produce legal documents for the vehicles.

As per the investigation so far, eight types of high-end vehicles were imported into India via Bhutan, with taxes evaded.

How Luxury Cars Illegally Imported In India

The luxury vehicles with high market value are first imported to Himachal and then smuggled across India after registering them in Himachal. The registration numbers are often altered to conceal the origin.

Operation ‘Numkhor’ To Continue

The crackdown, officials clarified, is systematic and comprehensive, focusing on tax evasion allegations across showrooms and individual importers, not just high-profile homes.

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Officials hinted that the operation will continue in multiple phases, and it will focus on documentation, registration procedures, and transportation routes.