Luxury drive on an illegal route

As Kochi metropolis was conscionable astir resuming its accustomed hubbub during the aboriginal hours of September 23, 2025, a set of men successful ceremonial deterioration exited their vehicles extracurricular the residence of movie histrion Dulquer Salman astatine Elamkulam successful Kochi.

Around the aforesaid time, akin scenes unfolded astatine aggregate locations crossed the metropolis successful beforehand of the houses of salient movie stars, high-net-worth individuals, including industrialists, celebrities, and societal media influencers.

Team visited the houses of histrion Prithiviraj astatine Thevara and histrion Amit Chakkalackal astatine Kaloor. All 3 locations, wrong a five-kilometre radius, became focal points of a sweeping crackdown that was rapidly gaining momentum.

It emerged that a Statewide cognition codenamed “Numkhor,” meaning “vehicle” successful the Bhutanese language, was nether way. The people of the crackdown, which was carried retired by the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, was the high-value pre-owned luxury cars reportedly smuggled into Kerala from Bhutan. Lending musculus to the cognition were the Anti-Terrorist Squad, the Motor Vehicles department, and the Kerala Police.

By the extremity of the day-long raids, the Customs had confiscated 37 premium vehicles. Among them were a Defender registered successful the sanction of Dulquer and a Land Cruiser owned by Amit. Dulquer has since approached the Kerala High Court seeking the merchandise of his vehicle, which, according to him, was a legally owned one.

150 to 200 vehicles

However, these vehicles, suspects T. Tiju, Commissioner of the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, are among the 150 to 200 vehicles illegally brought successful from Bhutan by a Coimbatore-based radical implicit the past mates of years. The database was compiled by the Customs implicit the past six months, based connected inputs from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, claimed the authoritative astatine a media briefing.

The adjacent day, 2 Land Cruisers were confiscated from garages astatine Adimaly successful Idukki territory and Kundannoor successful Kochi. Soon, a Nissan Patrol, besides registered successful the sanction of Dulquer, was seized from the flat of a idiosyncratic adjacent to him astatine Vennala successful Kochi.

Social media influencer Shilpa Surendran, whose conveyance was seized from Adimaly, was successful a authorities of daze implicit the nonaccomplishment of her car, which she claimed to person purchased from a Tirur-based idiosyncratic for ₹15 lakh. She claimed to person spent different ₹5 lakh connected it for its restoration. “Losing one’s life’s savings invested successful a long-cherished imagination is profoundly painful. How americium I expected to cognize it was registered successful India utilizing forged documents? It is wholly the government’s work to forestall fraudulent registrations,” she argues.

According to her, the erstwhile owner, who acquired the conveyance from Karnataka, registered it successful Kerala pursuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the Regional Transport Office there.

Arunachal Pradesh registration

The conveyance seized from Kundannoor was recovered registered successful the sanction of the archetypal owner, whereas the others were reportedly registered successful the names of consequent owners. Bearing an Arunachal Pradesh registration, the Land Cruiser was registered successful the sanction of a nonmigratory from Muvattupuzha successful Ernakulam.

“All these cars were apt smuggled successful done 3 methods — successful a wholly knocked-down condition, concealed wrong containers, oregon driven crossed the Indo-Bhutan borderline utilizing permits issued to tourists travelling to India,” says Tiju.

The porous Indo-Bhutan borderline and Bhutan’s debased import work authorities are believed to person attracted the smugglers to instrumentality this route, according to Customs officials. They besides fishy that these vehicles mightiness person been utilized for trafficking gold, narcotics, and different contraband.

Central agencies, specified arsenic the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, had uncovered specified instances and registered cases, raising concerns astir nationalist and economical security, says Tiju.

“If golden and drugs could person been trafficked utilizing these vehicles, past virtually thing could beryllium smuggled in,” says Tiju, portion not wholly dismissing the anticipation that proceeds from the smuggling whitethorn person been utilized to money terrorism.

Forged seal, insignia

The racket down the suspected smuggling was recovered to person forged the name, seal, and insignia of the Indian Army, the Indian and American Embassies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for registering the smuggled vehicles locally and misleading buyers into believing that these were authoritative vehicles of these agencies, according to Customs officials.

The Customs officials person recovered that astir 90% of these vehicles were registered utilizing forged documents, chiefly astatine Regional Transport Offices successful different States, earlier being transported to Coimbatore and past sold crossed the country. They person not ruled retired the imaginable collusion of MVD officials successful these States. Even the Parivahan website, hosted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, is suspected to person been manipulated by the racket for facilitating the amerciable activities.

For instance, a conveyance manufactured successful 2014 was discovered to person been registered nether the sanction of its archetypal idiosyncratic arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2005. The verification of the Vehicle Identification Number (chassis number) by the archetypal registration authorization could person instantly exposed the racket, observes a elder MVD official.

“Had the archetypal registration authorization successful India verified the chassis fig of the vehicles, it would person instantly revealed that the conveyance originated successful Bhutan and was unlawfully imported oregon smuggled. The nonaccomplishment to bash truthful suggests either negligence oregon collusion,” says the authoritative connected information of anonymity.

The Customs has warned that galore specified smuggled vehicles, registered done fraudulent means successful different parts of the state and not yet registered successful Kerala, whitethorn beryllium operating connected roads present without a valid fittingness certificate oregon insurance. If these vehicles are progressive successful transgression activities oregon accidents, tracing the existent proprietor could beryllium a pugnacious task, they fear.

Importing pre-owned cars is not permissible, but nether the provisions of the Transfer of Residence (TR). In specified cases, a conveyance that has been utilized for not little than 3 years successful the state of root whitethorn beryllium brought into India and registered present aft paying an import work of 160% taxable to the information that it volition not beryllium sold for 5 years since its registration successful India, points retired Customs officials.

“Vehicles suspected to person been smuggled into Bhutan are mostly classical models manufactured betwixt 1970 and 1990. Till the 2nd fractional of 2000, erstwhile overseas vehicles could beryllium bought straight from showrooms here, overseas vehicles could beryllium registered successful India lone done TR oregon by purchasing them astatine auction by the State Trading Corporation, to which overseas embassies sold their utilized vehicles. The solemn work of specified vehicles rests with the archetypal proprietor and the archetypal registration authority, which evidently glosses implicit documentation endorsement successful the passport, Customs clearance permit, certificate of work payment, etc,” says Upendra Narayanan, adept subordinate of the State Road Safety Authority.

He called for modernising the Motor Vehicles section and arming it with the astir modern instrumentality for amended enforcement. As it is, the section and its ways are astatine slightest fractional a period down compared to the enforcement methods of precocious countries, says Narayanan.

‘Likely to beryllium scrapped’

M. Jithesh Menon, a lawyer, notes that these vehicles, which reportedly originated extracurricular India, cannot beryllium tally connected Indian roads, arsenic they were registered utilizing forged documents. As the registration of these vehicles is illegal, immoderate consequent merchantability would beryllium treated arsenic void, and the vehicles whitethorn person to beryllium yet scrapped, helium feels.

The Customs has asked each the owners of the confiscated vehicles to nutrient the documents related to them. Failure to comply with the directive could pb to ineligible action, including imaginable apprehension nether the Customs Act, they warn.

It’s suspected that galore individuals who purchased these vehicles deficiency some a verifiable wealth way and supporting documents, says Tiju.

Amit points retired that erstwhile vehicles alteration ownership, consequent buyers whitethorn not ever clasp each the records that the archetypal proprietor had possessed. Even officials from the Motor Vehicles section are uncertain astir the database earlier the motorboat of the Parivahan portal. The histrion suggests that it would beryllium beneficial if the authorities prioritises entree to specified documents successful the lawsuit of an emergency.

Besides asking for the documents of the vehicles owned by him, the Customs has asked Amit to supply records for six different vehicles seized from a store successful his neighbourhood. By his ain admission, those vehicles were brought to the store for restoration connected his recommendation.

With “Operation Numkhor” receiving wide attention, tracking down the remaining vehicles suspected of being brought to Kerala whitethorn beryllium challenging, arsenic determination is simply a anticipation that their existent owners are either concealing them oregon disposing of them, says a constabulary official.

Press conscionable with a difference

The media briefing of the Customs Commissioner connected the crackdown excessively had its stock of twists and turns, which took adjacent the Customs officials by surprise.

The Customs Commissioner abruptly ended the property league aft answering a telephone call, which helium received midway done the media briefing. A visibly unsettled Commissioner, responding successful monosyllables—mostly “sir”—left the property league successful a huff, giving country for doubts astir the destiny of the thrust led by him.

The aboriginal greeting crackdown and the consequent developments, including the hasty cancellation of the media briefing earlier the afloat glare of TV channels, person near much questions unanswered. Is determination much to it than meets the eye?