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ED Raids Dulquer Salmaan, Mammootty & Other Filmstars Again Over Bhutan Luxury Car Smuggling Case
The Enforcement Directorate launched raids at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu today (8th August), targeting those linked to a luxury car smuggling racket. The operation pulled in high-profile names, including Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, under the FEMA investigation.
The ED's Kochi Zonal Office led the multi-city searches under FEMA, 1999, tracing foreign exchange violations tied to illegally imported premium vehicles. Teams covered residential properties, showrooms, and financial intermediaries across Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kottayam, and Coimbatore.
Investigators believe the network smuggled Land Cruisers, Land Rover Defenders, Lexus and Maserati SUVs through Bhutan and Nepal using forged permits allegedly issued by the Indian Army, the US Embassy, and the Ministry of External Affairs to bypass customs restrictions and registration checks.
The cars were later registered using fake RTO documents from Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh before being sold at undervalued prices to buyers, including actors and industrialists. The ED is mapping fund trails and ownership transfers connected to the smuggling ring's financial front companies.
ED Raid at actor Mammootty's House. Source: PTI
This operation follows Operation Numkhor, a customs crackdown earlier this year that exposed widespread import duty evasion. That phase saw over 30 raids in Kerala, with several seized vehicles. The case has now widened into a money-laundering investigation, with digital evidence and payment records under forensic review. Transactions were routed through shell entities and these cross-border accounts are central to establishing the extent of the financial violations.
After the previous set of raids, Dulquer Salmaan had secured interim relief from the Kerala High Court, which allowed him to approach the adjudicating authority under the Customs Act, 1962, to seek the provisional release of his Land Rover Defender.. He maintained that the car was purchased legally after due verification through authorised dealerships and registration channels.
No new seizures have been confirmed till now, though document checks and follow-up summonses are expected once evidence analysis is complete in an investigation that remains active across multiple states.
The luxury car smuggling case has emerged as one of the biggest financial probes involving South Indian film personalities, uncovering an organised import racket operating through forged diplomatic clearances and fraudulent vehicle registrations.
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