Customs raid Malayalam stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer Salmaan's houses in luxury car smuggling case
The raids are a part of a nationwide operation, targeting an alleged network involved in illegal imports and tax evasion.
Customs officials have raided the Kochi residences of Malayalam film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer Salmaan in connection with a nationwide investigation into the smuggling of luxury vehicles from Bhutan. The operation, codenamed Numkoor—which translates to vehicle in Bhutanese—is probing a network allegedly involved in illegal imports and tax evasion.
According to a report in The Week, raids were underway at Prithviraj’s Thevara home and Dulquer’s Panampilly Nagar residence, on Tuesday. Authorities also visited Prithviraj’s house in Thiruvananthapuram but reportedly did not find any suspicious vehicles there. Overall, around 30 locations across Kerala, including Kochi, Kozhikode, and Malappuram, are being searched as part of the operation.
According to sources in various reports, the investigation began after intelligence revealed that decommissioned Bhutan Army vehicles, sold at auction for low prices, were being smuggled into India without paying customs duties. These high-end vehicles were then transported to Himachal Pradesh, registered using temporary addresses, and sold at marked-up prices to prominent buyers, including actors and business figures.
Officials say a structured network of agents facilitated these transactions, exploiting loopholes in Indo-Bhutan trade rules. While the vehicles are legally auctioned in Bhutan, their import and resale in India without proper taxation violate customs regulations. Customs authorities have compiled a list of recipients of the vehicles, and the raids at the actors’ homes were reportedly conducted to verify whether they had purchased any of these cars.
The operation is being coordinated under the supervision of the Commissioner for Kerala and Lakshadweep. Alongside the actors, authorities are inspecting the homes of businessmen in Kalamassery and car dealerships in Malappuram and Kozhikode. Officials continue to carry out searches, with further developments expected as the investigation progresses.
