KOCHI: Even as the Kochi city police registered a cheating case involving one of the vehicles seized under ‘Operation Numkhor’, the Customs (Preventive) department has pressed ahead with an intensive and wide-ranging investigation to trace the alleged network behind the racket and verify crucial documentation.
Highlighting the scale of the exercise, Kochi Customs (Preventive) Commissioner T. Tiju said the probe remains relentless, with officials recording statements from vehicle owners and intermediaries, issuing show-cause notices, and meticulously collecting and scrutinising documents related to each seized vehicle.
“This is a tireless exercise that demands extensive groundwork, including approaching RTO offices and even the Ministry of External Affairs to gather and verify records,” Tiju said.
The investigation gathered momentum following the confiscation of 10 high-end vehicles from Coimbatore and the busting of the alleged masterminds behind the scheme.
Alongside document verification, customs officials are continuing active surveillance on several vehicles, including around 10 suspected to have gone missing and possibly re-entered India or been concealed elsewhere.
Authorities are tracing every link in the chain, including individuals who purchased, used, or possessed the vehicles despite being aware of the irregularities.
“As an impact of Operation Numkhor, local residents have become more alert and are now sending us photographs of suspicious vehicles, which is also helping us trace them,” Tiju added.
A senior source with the Kochi Customs (Preventive) unit said some vehicle owners have begun approaching the department voluntarily after learning about the illegalities involved.
In one such case, an Ernakulam native came forward with a vehicle and its documents, stating that he had been introduced to a dealer in Ladakh during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the complainant, he was lured by the offer of a refurbished high-end vehicle—normally priced at over Rs 2 crore—for just Rs 24 lakh. He later realised that the colour and engine number mentioned in the registration documents did not match the vehicle.
Further verification revealed that a 2000-model vehicle had been fraudulently projected as a 2013 model, first-owner vehicle by manipulating documents, thereby cheating the buyer.
Meanwhile, the Ernakulam Central police have registered a cheating case and launched an investigation into a high-end car seized by the Customs (Preventive) department last year in connection with the illegal smuggling of luxury vehicles from Bhutan.
The case was registered on January 11, 2026, based on a complaint filed by a 22-year-old native of Edappally, who alleged that he was cheated of Rs 14 lakh by a Delhi-based car dealer.
The dealer is accused of selling him a Toyota Land Cruiser by falsely claiming that the vehicle had earlier been used by the Indian Embassy.