Kochi: Smuggling of Bhutan vehicles which were brought by those including actors Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj is a “serious national security threat,” T Tiju, Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Kochi
Tiju said on Tuesday, Manorama reported.
The cars in the possession of Dulquer and other personalities were registered in multiple states using forged paperwork.
“The smugglers used counterfeit seals and documents purportedly belonging to the Indian Army, and even Indian and foreign embassies, to get the vehicles registered”, he said.
“The racket even manipulated MoRTH’s Parivahan portal to create fake ownership.
“The seized vehicles were all purchased through illegal transactions. We are now verifying the money trail,” he said.
Issues including chances of diverting the proceeds to terror funding needs to be thoroughly investigated. Agencies, like the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, and GST intelligence, may also step in,” he said.
Customs officials revealed that a racket operating from Coimbatore was instrumental in smuggling Indian and foreign currency into Bhutan to purchase these vehicles. The Customs Commissionerate seized 36 premium vehicles smuggled from Bhutan in simultaneous raids across Kerala on Tuesday. The vehicles were imported, evading customs duty, and registered using forged documents
The coordinated operation was carried out at more than 30 locations with support from the Kerala Transport Commissionerate, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and state police.
“The import of second-hand vehicles into India is prohibited, except under the Transfer of Residence (TR) facility through designated ports and on payment of nearly 160 per cent duty,” Tiju explained.
Several reports also indicate that such cars have been used earlier to smuggle gold and narcotics into.
Bhutan car case turns murkier
