KOCHI: The Customs Commissionerate (Preventive), Kochi, on Friday allowed the provisional release of two seized luxury vehicles -- a Land Rover Defender belonging to actor Dulquer Salmaan and a Toyota Land Cruiser of a Thrissur resident named Robin.
The move follows the Kerala High Court issuing an interim order allowing the actor to approach the customs for release of his vehicle. The additional commissioner of customs gave the approval, acting under Section 110 (A) of the Customs Act, 1962, which allows for the provisional release of seized goods pending the final outcome of the case adjudication.
“The two cars were allowed for release, subject to specific conditions,” a senior customs official said. The customs had launched ‘Operation Numkhor’ (a Bhutanese word for ‘vehicle’) on September 23 to crack down on a major racket suspected of illegally importing high-end, pre-owned vehicles, primarily from Bhutan.
These vehicles were allegedly brought into India using forged documents, often involving fraudulent registration and massive tax evasion. The crackdown saw raids across the state, in which at least 43 vehicles were seized, including that of celebrities. The customs has compiled a list of 150 to 200 such vehicles.
The customs authorities released the vehicles under strict financial and legal guarantees.With this, 39 seized high-end cars have been provisionally returned to their owners. However, another car belonging to Dulquer, a Nissan Patrol, seized from the house of one of his relatives at Vennala, remains in customs’ custody.