Kochi: The Customs Department has intensified its nationwide crackdown under Operation Namkhor, seizing two luxury cars owned by actor Dulquer Salmaan during surprise raids in Kerala. In all, 11 vehicles were confiscated from seven locations across Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. Dulquer has also been served a summons, directing him to produce any additional vehicles in his possession.
The raids followed intelligence alerts that high-end cars from Bhutan were being smuggled into India without paying taxes. In Kerala alone, Customs teams carried out inspections at 30 locations across five districts, including four automobile showrooms and multiple residences.
Prominent film industry figures came under the scanner as officials visited the homes of Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amit Chakkalakkal, as well as the garage of Mammootty’s former residence. At Prithviraj’s Thiruvananthapuram home, however, no vehicles were found.
Preliminary findings suggest that nearly 198 luxury vehicles were illegally brought into India through this network, with 20 traced to Kerala. Many of these cars—some once used by the Bhutanese army and listed as vintage—were purchased cheaply at auctions, registered in Himachal Pradesh, and later resold at hefty prices across India.
Customs officials believe that several actors, technicians, and businessmen in Kerala may have bought these illegally imported vehicles, marking the beginning of what could be a major industry-wide probe.
