ED summons Dulquer Salmaan in luxurious automobile smuggling probe

The Kochi Zonal Office 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 car 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 concerning transactions associated to the seized autos.

Mr. Salmaan had earlier approached the Kerala High Court searching for the discharge of his autos. On Tuesday, the High Court directed him to strategy the adjudicating authority below the Customs Act to request the discharge of one among his high-end SUVs.

ED raids

The ED has been conducting raids below the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at 17 places 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 international trade transactions.

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

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

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

Preliminary findings reveal a Coimbatore-based community utilizing solid paperwork —purporting to be from the Indian Army, US Embassy, and Ministry of External Affairs—and fraudulent RTO (Regional Transport Office) registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and different States. The autos had been later offered 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 had been detected, involving unauthorised international trade transactions and cross-border funds by way of hawala channels.

Further investigation is below option to hint the cash path, beneficiary community, and international trade motion.

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