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The Malayalam superstars were among the 100 being raided in a part of a larger crackdown on imported cars in Kerala.
The preventive wing of the Customs and Central Excise Department began conducting raids at residences of HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals) in Kerala as a part of a massive crackdown on the alleged illegal import of premium cars from Bhutan. According to a report in The Hindu, the raids included homes of industrialists and prominent movie actors including Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer Salmaan. Their cars are among 100 others that are currently being investigated for being brought into India through Bhutan.
The same report stated that this operation has been named Numkhor (vehicle in Bhutanese) and that the Customs were tracking these vehicles allegedly for the illegal manner in which used vehicles were being brought into from neighbouring Bhutan. The raid is currently underway in as many as 30 locations including Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kuttippuram, and Thrissur, the report states.
Imported cars are expected to pay an import duty that costs above 100 per cent of the cost of the car. A video on Asianet News had stated that both Dulquer and Prithviraj were being investigated for the possession of a Nissan Patrol and a Land Rover respectively.
The report said that “None of the vehicles involved is manufactured in India. It is suspected that the new vehicles have been illegally imported as used vehicles through Bhutan. Vehicles found to have been illegally imported would be seized. Owners unable to produce relevant documents will face punitive measures.”
Furthermore, according to a report on Mathrubhumi News, a well-organised network of agents is said to have been facilitating such transactions, exploiting loopholes in the Indo-Bhutan trade agreements. These vehicles are legally auctioned in Bhutan, but their import and resale without taxation is considered a violation of laws in India.
Dulquer Salmaan recently appeared in Lokah, which he also produced. Prithiviraj Sukumaran was last seen in Sarzameen.