ED summons Dulquer Salmaan in luxury car smuggling probe

The Kochi Zonal Workplace of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) summoned actor-producer Dulquer Salmaan in reference to the seizure of three high-end pre-owned SUVs by the Customs final month.

The Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, initially seized two SUVs — two Land Rover Defenders and a Nissan Patrol — adopted by one other automobile from the actor as a part of Operation Numkhor, which targets high-value pre-owned autos suspected to have been smuggled in from Bhutan.

Reportedly, the actor has been summoned relating to transactions associated to the seized autos.

Mr. Salmaan had earlier approached the Kerala Excessive Courtroom looking for the discharge of his autos. On Tuesday, the Excessive Courtroom directed him to strategy the adjudicating authority beneath the Customs Act to request the discharge of one in all his high-end SUVs.

ED raids

The ED has been conducting raids beneath the Overseas Alternate Administration Act (FEMA) at 17 areas throughout Kerala and Tamil Nadu since Wednesday morning as a part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged smuggling of high-end pre-owned luxurious autos and associated unauthorised overseas alternate transactions.

The operation lined 17 premises, together with the residences and institutions of movie stars Prithviraj Sikumaran, Mr. Salmaan, and Amit Chakkalakkal, in addition to sure automobile house owners, auto workshops, and merchants in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam, and Coimbatore.

These raids comply with simultaneous Statewide operations carried out by the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, at over 30 areas — together with the residences of actors — on September 23. Throughout these raids, 37 “high-value second-hand automobiles” suspected to have been smuggled in from Bhutan over the previous few years have been seized. Three extra autos have been confiscated within the days that adopted.

“The searches have been based mostly on inputs exposing a syndicate engaged within the unlawful import and registration of luxurious automobiles akin to Land Cruiser, Defender, and Maserati by Indo-Bhutan/Nepal routes,” acknowledged a launch issued by the ED on Wednesday.

Preliminary findings reveal a Coimbatore-based community utilizing cast paperwork —purporting to be from the Indian Military, US Embassy, and Ministry of Exterior Affairs—and fraudulent RTO (Regional Transport Workplace) registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and different States. The autos have been later bought to high-net-worth people, together with movie personalities, at undervalued costs, the discharge added.

The ED motion was initiated after prima facie violations of Sections 3, 4, and eight of FEMA have been detected, involving unauthorised overseas alternate transactions and cross-border funds by hawala channels.

Additional investigation is beneath option to hint the cash path, beneficiary community, and overseas alternate motion.

The Customs carried out the operation based mostly on a listing of 150 to 200 autos flagged for irregularities within the database of the Ministry of Street Transport and Highways. These autos have been suspected to have been smuggled into Kerala by a Coimbatore-based racket.