Car smuggling case: ED searches premises of film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran and others

Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday carried out search operations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged smuggling of high-end, pre-owned luxury vehicles and related unauthorised foreign exchange transactions.

The search operation covered 17 premises, including the residences and establishments of movie stars Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Amit Chakkalakkal, as well as certain vehicle owners, automobile workshops and traders in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam, and Coimbatore.

The searches were based on inputs exposing a syndicate engaged in illegal import and registration of luxury cars such as Land Cruiser, Defender, and Maserati via Indo-Bhutan/Nepal routes, said people in the know.


They claimed ED's preliminary findings reveal a Coimbatore-based network using forged documents (purporting to be from the Indian Army, US Embassy, and MEA) and fraudulent RTO registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and other states. Vehicles were later sold to HNI individuals.