Mammootty, Dulquer Salman raided by ED in Kerala luxury cars smuggling case

The raids are part of a larger crackdown on an alleged network that illegally imported high-end vehicles through Bhutan and Nepal.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at multiple locations linked to prominent Malayalam actors Mammootty and Dulquer Salmaan as part of an ongoing investigation into a luxury car smuggling racket.

Searches were conducted at Mammootty's Chennai residence by ED officials.

ED officers, backed by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, carried out searches at Wayfarer Films Private Limited, a production company owned by Mammootty in Chennai. Simultaneous searches were conducted at three houses associated with actor Dulquer Salmaan.

The raids are part of a larger crackdown on an alleged network that illegally imported high-end vehicles through Bhutan and Nepal and fraudulently registered them in India. In all, 17 locations - including properties of vehicle dealers, workshops, and owners - across Kerala and Tamil Nadu were covered in the operation.

Actors, traders under lens

Earlier in the day, ED officials also raided premises linked to actors Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan and Amit Chakkalackal in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam, and Coimbatore.

The searches are being carried out under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in connection with a recent Customs case involving the alleged smuggling of luxury vehicles and unauthorised foreign exchange dealings.

According to officials, the probe is based on intelligence inputs about a syndicate that illegally imported and registered vehicles such as Land Cruisers, Defenders and Maseratis using forged documents purportedly issued by the Indian Army, the US Embassy and the Ministry of External Affairs.

These vehicles were then fraudulently registered in states like Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh before being sold at undervalued prices to high-net-worth individuals, including film personalities.

The ED suspects prima facie violations of Sections 3, 4 and 8 of FEMA, involving unauthorised foreign exchange transactions and hawala payments.

Dulquer Salmaan's legal move

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed Dulquer Salmaan to seek the provisional release of his Land Rover Defender seized by Customs as part of the probe.

Customs authorities have been directed to decide on the plea within a week of its filing.

Dulquer, in his petition, stated that the vehicle had been shipped by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to its regional delegation in New Delhi and that he had purchased it under the bona fide belief that all ownership and registration documents were valid.

He alleged that Customs officials seized the vehicle “hastily and arbitrarily” without properly examining the documents.

Operation Numkhor

The current ED action follows extensive Customs raids conducted on September 23 as part of ‘Operation Numkhor’, during which 36 luxury cars were seized from about 30 locations, including the residences of the three actors. The operation also uncovered instances of vehicles being used to smuggle gold and drugs, officials said.

The ongoing probe has widened in recent weeks, with both the ED and Customs focusing on suspected financial violations and cross-border hawala transactions linked to the illegal vehicle imports.