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Customs summons Saif Ali for car smuggling
The customs department has summoned Saif Ali Khan to appear before an official on January 9.
The customs department has summoned Saif Ali Khan to appear before an official on January 9 to answer the charges of smuggling imported car, Toyota Lexus.
According to Customs, the car was allegedly imported under the Transfer of Residence (TR) rules by a passenger who flew into Mumbai from Dubai in January 2004.
The person was identified as Kolangara Mamunhi Mohammed from Kerala and the vehicle was endorsed on his passport for import under TR.
"If it is found that the actor had purchased the car from Mohammed then it would violate the TR rules and Khan would face action," the customs sources said.
Under the TR rules, only NRIs who have stayed abroad for at least two years and owned the vehicle for six months are eligible to bring the car to India on their relocation. The owners of such cars are also banned to sell the vehicle for two years, the sources added.
The modus operandi in some cases is that the buyer of such vehicle enters into a lease arrangement with the car owner who comes from abroad.
A loan is advanced to the owner equivalent to the value of the car and a clause is inserted in the agreement that if the loan is not paid the car would be retained by the lender.
Earlier, actor Salman Khan had bought Land Cruiser in this fashion, the sources said.
Even Sanjay Dutt had to pay a fine of Rs 40 lakh for his Porche as he was found to have evaded duty by purchasing the car, the sources added.
