Luxury Car Tax Evasion: Raids at Dulquer Salmaan & Prithviraj’s Properties

Under Operation Namkhor, Raids Were Conducted Across Kerala In Search Of Tax-Evaded Luxury Cars

Properties and houses of Malayalam stars Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran were raided on Tuesday as part of Operation Numkhor by the Customs Preventive wing. The Customs Department is currently conducting raids across Kerala to trace out luxury vehicles brought from Bhutan to India using fake registrations to evade tax.

An official at the Customs Preventive Commissionerate reportedly said that ‘documents of their vehicles are being examined.’ Raids were conducted in places like Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Malappuram.

Operation Numkhor

In the Bhutanese language, ‘Numkhor’ means vehicle, and the customs department suspects that more than 100 luxury vehicles, including Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, and Prados, were smuggled into Kerala from Bhutan and later purchased by Malayalam actors. “There are around 15 such violations,” one officer said.

It was also reported that the department is investigating vehicles bought by actor Amit Chakkalackal in the same operation.

Following extensive searches in the actors' homes, the officials were unable to locate the suspected vehicles. Dulquer and Prithviraj didn’t release any statement to the press about the raid.

Customs officials, working closely with the Motor Vehicles Department, are also conducting thorough checks at prominent car showrooms across the state.

More About Illegally Imported Vehicles

Luxury vehicles, owing to their high market value, are prone to various illegal practices. Initial updates from Operation Numkhor have revealed that at least eight types of high-end vehicles were imported into India via Bhutan, with taxes evaded. The offenders first register the vehicles in Himachal Pradesh, followed by transporting them to various parts of India, and altering registration numbers, to hide the origin.

As per the protocol of the investigation, tax-evaded luxury vehicles will be seized with notices. The owners will be asked to produce the relevant papers for the vehicles.

The raids at the residences of celebrities have attracted widespread media attention; however, the officials said that it is a “part of a nationwide effort to safeguard revenue and enforce compliance,” confirming that the “operation is systematic and targets both showrooms and individual importers suspected of tax evasion.”

In coordination with state agencies, district-wide checks will be imposed for high-value imports, reflecting the government's effort to prevent sophisticated tax evasion in the luxury automobile sector. Authorities hinted that the Numkhor operation would continue in several phases, focusing on documentation, registration procedures, along with the transportation routes.