ED raids multiple locations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu including homes of Mammootty, Dulquer and Prithviraj | WATCH

Raids were carried out today at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu as part of an ongoing investigation into luxury vehicle smuggling from Bhutan. High-profile residences, including those of film stars Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Amit Chakkalakkal, were among the sites searched by authorities. The crackdown is part of a wider probe aimed at uncovering the full extent of the smuggling racket.
 

The Enforcement Directorate’s Kochi Zonal Office is conducting search operations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, targeting illegal import and unauthorised foreign exchange dealings connected to the smuggling of high-end luxury vehicles.

 

The raids are being held at actor Mammootty’s residence in Panampilly Nagar, as well as at Dulquer Salmaan’s residences in Kochi and Chennai. ED officials are also reportedly carrying out searches at luxury car showrooms in Kozhikode. 
 

 

Officials revealed that the searches were based on intelligence exposing a syndicate involved in the illegal import and registration of luxury cars such as Land Cruiser, Defender and Maserati through India-Bhutan and India-Nepal routes.

Preliminary findings indicate that a Coimbatore-based network used forged documents, purportedly from the Indian Army, US Embassy, and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), along with fraudulent Regional Transport Office (RTO) registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and other states. These vehicles were then sold to high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), including film personalities, at undervalued prices.

Earlier, as part of Operation Numkhor, the residences of Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amit Chakkalakkal were raided, with vehicles belonging to some of them seized. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities continuing to track the full scale of the smuggling operation.

(with ANI inputs)