As part of the ongoing Operation Numkor, customs officials conducted major raids in Kerala today. These were held simultaneously at the residences and commercial establishments of famous actors and businessmen. As many as 36 luxury and classic cars and SUVs were seized. According to media reports, the seized vehicles include those owned by the actor-producer Dulquer Salmaan and the Malayalam actor Amith Chakkalakkal.
Raids were conducted simultaneously in several districts in Kerala. DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) and Customs officials visited the garages of three prominent actors- Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan and Amith Chakkalakkal- and collected details of the vehicles they own. These were then analysed to see if any of them had anything to do with the Bhutan-Kerala illegal car trade, more of which will be discussed later in this article. These inspections lasted for hours. All three actors are known for their passion for cars and own tasteful garages as well.
As the day progressed, more details of the operation surfaced. According to a News 18 report, 36 vehicles have been seized so far. It further says that two of these belong to Dulquer Salmaan, one of which is a Land Rover Defender Classic. Another report by Asianet News further revealed its registration number- TN 01 AS 0155. The actor is the third owner of this vehicle. Details of the other vehicle remain unknown for now. Some say it is an old-generation Nissan Patrol. Dulquer has reportedly been asked to appear in person and provide further details of these vehicles.
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Actor Amith Chakkalakkal had been using a 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser 105 as his daily for the past five years. This SUV allegedly had several modifications and upgrades as well. He has made multiple public appearances with it and is often respected for how well he maintained it.
Customs raids revealed that it previously had DL registration and was later converted into MP registration, which he has been using till date. According to the report, this SUV has been seized for its dubious records. The department will conduct further investigations on its history.
The publication further says that officials could not find Prithviraj Sukumaran’s vehicle that’s being probed- a Defender, at his residences in Kochi and Trivandrum.
These raids were not limited to the residences of these movie stars alone. Officials searched as many as four pre-owned and luxury car showrooms in the Calicut and Malappuram districts. Most of the seized cars were allegedly from the northern parts of the state. These vehicles were soon moved to the customs yard in Karipur.
For the uninformed, Operation Numkhor is a covertly titled crackdown conducted by the customs department to investigate suspected luxury and classic car smuggling from Bhutan. ‘Numkhor’ in Bhutanese means ‘vehicle’. Previous reports had revealed that around 150 ‘vintage’ and ‘classic’ cars, including those disposed of by the Bhutanese army, were ‘smuggled’ to India, without paying proper duties. Even new luxury cars were reportedly smuggled via this route, evading tens of crores of tax money.
These then surface in the used car market and were sold to prospective buyers at high prices. The dealers made fortunes in the process as they sourced many of these cheap and kept a huge margin in every sale. Various investigating agencies also received information that around 20 of these vehicles were sold to people in Kerala. The South Indian state is known for its car culture and priceless (and tasteful) garages.
Based on an intelligence report, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence started a probe, which in the time that followed, shed light on the specifics of this ‘unholy trade’. A chain of officials and agents were involved in this. Vehicles (including Classic Land Rovers and Land Cruisers, which hold high reputation among enthusiasts) were first bought by the nexus at cheap prices, in auctions held in Bhutan.
These then went through a ‘complex’ process before surfacing in the Indian used car market as ‘legal imports’. According to reports, most of these would be first registered in Himachal Pradesh, under the Shimla rural RTO (HP 52). An arrangement was allegedly made at the RTO to keep this process smooth. These would then be sold to prospective (and unsuspecting) buyers with NOC and other documents.
The new owners may then change the registration to their respective state RTOs, following the right procedures. This route would allow the intermediates to evade tax and customs duties, often making them rich overnight.
Talking of margins, investigations have revealed cases in which the initial purchase was done for as little as Rs 1 lakh, and the final sale was made for Rs 10 lakh! In another case, a vehicle sourced for Rs 3 lakh was sold for Rs 30 lakh!
The News 18 report also claims that brand-new luxury cars were smuggled by first importing them to Bhutan under concessional duties under special trade treaties. These allow them to be used strictly within the borders of Bhutan. These vehicles were then smuggled into the Indian mainland, without paying the required import duty or GST. After entering the country, these would be registered in ‘lenient’ states like Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim or Arunachal Pradesh, and will later be sold, following the procedure mentioned above.