Enforcement Directorate Raids Film Stars' Homes in Major Luxury Car Smuggling Investigation

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan's residence along with over a dozen locations across South India as part of an investigation into luxury car smuggling cartels and alleged tax evasion, according to sources.

Authorities raided 17 premises across Kerala and Tamil Nadu early this morning, targeting properties of film stars including Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amith Chackalacal. The operation also covered car owners, auto workshops, and traders in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and several Kerala districts including Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kottayam.

The operation was executed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) following Customs' discovery of alleged luxury vehicle smuggling and unauthorized foreign exchange transactions. Kerala has been a primary focus of this investigation.

Since September's previous raid, authorities have seized approximately 40 vehicles linked to the three actors, including Salmaan's Nissan Patrol SUV and Land Rover Defender. Customs officials also confiscated Chackalacal's Land Rover, with sources indicating a suspected direct connection between him and the smuggling operations.

Today's raids were based on intelligence revealing a syndicate involved in the illegal importation and registration of high-end vehicles such as Toyota Land Cruisers, Land Rovers, and Maseratis. Sources report that these illegal imports were facilitated through routes involving Bhutan and Nepal.

Investigators are examining a Coimbatore-based network in this connection. Initial findings suggest this network utilized forged documents purportedly from the Indian Army, foreign ministry, and US embassy, along with fraudulent vehicle registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and other states.

The vehicles were subsequently sold to high-net-worth individuals, including film celebrities, at deliberately undervalued prices, according to sources.

These activities have triggered FEMA violations involving unauthorized foreign exchange transactions and cross-border payments through hawala channels. Sources indicate ongoing investigations to trace money trails, beneficiary networks, and foreign exchange movements.

The luxury vehicle sector is particularly vulnerable to illegal tax evasion practices, necessitating thorough inspections. Prominent car showrooms throughout Kerala have also come under customs scrutiny, with officials emphasizing that this represents a systematic operation targeting both showrooms and individual importers suspected of tax evasion.