7 months ago
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The Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, connected Thursday seized 3 much high-end pre-owned vehicles suspected to person been smuggled into Kerala from Bhutan, bringing the full fig of vehicles seized nether Operation Numkhor to 43.
A Nissan Patrol, a Nissan Pickup Truck, and a Toyota Prado were reportedly discovered hidden nether tarpaulin sheets connected a vacant crippled successful the city. The seizure was reportedly made pursuing a tip-off received by Customs officials, who fishy the vehicles were hidden aft the cognition garnered wide publicity.
A conveyance seized by Customs connected Thursday.
Customs sources alleged that 2 of the vehicles—the Nissan Patrol and the Nissan Pickup Truck—were linked to histrion Amit Chakkalackal. However, it remains to beryllium verified whether the vehicles were registered successful his name, they said. The sources, however, declined to disclose the determination from which the vehicles were seized.
Denied connection
Mr. Chakkalackal, however, denied immoderate transportation to the vehicles. “Those 2 vehicles were brought successful for attraction astatine a store successful my neighbourhood and were kept connected a crippled owned by the store owner. All applicable documents related to the Nissan Pickup Truck, which was primitively owned by the Dutch embassy, person been submitted,” helium said.
Earlier, the Customs had seized a Toyota Land Cruiser owned by Mr. Chakkalackal, on with six different vehicles from the store successful his neighbourhood, which had been brought successful for attraction astatine his recommendation.
Operation Numkhor was launched connected September 23, erstwhile 37 vehicles were initially seized, including those linked to actors Dulquer Salmaan and Mr. Chakkalackal. Three much vehicles were seized successful the days that followed, anterior to Thursday’s operation. The Customs has compiled a database of 150–200 specified vehicles suspected to person been smuggled into Kerala from Bhutan implicit the past fewer years by a Coimbatore-based racket. The Directorate of Enforcement has besides initiated an probe into the substance and has since tracked down the racket and its 2 cardinal partners.
