ED raids Kerala actors over alleged luxury car smuggling network

The ED raided multiple locations linked to actors Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan, and Amit Chakkalackal in Kerala in connection with a luxury car smuggling racket. The case involves illegally imported vehicles registered using forged documents and sold at undervalued prices.

Kochi: The ED on Wednesday raided premises linked to actors Prithviraj, Dulquer Salman and Amit Chakkalackal and some others across Kerala as part of its investigation into a recent Customs case related to alleged smuggling of luxury vehicles from Bhutan to India, official sources said.

The searches by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also covered certain vehicle owners, auto workshops, and traders in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam and Coimbatore. A total of 17 premises are being covered, the sources said.

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The action is being taken under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in a recent case unearthed by the Customs related to alleged smuggling of high-end luxury vehicles and unauthorised foreign exchange dealings.

The searches are based on inputs exposing a syndicate engaged in illegal import and registration of luxury cars such as Land Cruiser, Defender, and Maserati through the India-Bhutan/Nepal routes, they said.

Preliminary findings, according to the officials, point at a Coimbatore-based network using forged documents (purporting to be from Indian Army, US Embassy, and MEA) and fraudulent RTO registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and other states.

The vehicles were later sold to high-net worth (HNI) individuals, including film personalities, at undervalued prices, they said.