KOZHIKODE: In North Kerala, the love for gleaming luxury cars and timeless vintage models is not just a pastime, it is a cultural phenomenon. From roadside tea stalls to high-end car shows, conversations often turn to the growl of a Mercedes-Benz engine, the sleek lines of a Porsche, or the elegance of a vintage classic. However, the passion, long celebrated as part of the region’s lifestyle, has now collided with the country’s biggest crackdown on smuggled vehicles in recent years.
Customs officials conducted sweeping raids across Kozhikode, Malappuram and Kochi as part of Operation ‘Numkhor’ – Bhutanese for ‘vehicle’ – on Tuesday, uncovering what they described as an elaborate racket smuggling luxury cars into India through Bhutan, bypassing massive tax liabilities. “This is one of the largest operations in recent times,” a senior customs officer told reporters. “Luxury vehicles worth crores were being imported illegally, exploiting the Bhutan route. It is organised financial crime.”
In Malappuram and Kozhikode, districts shaped by decades of Gulf remittances, cars are more than machines. They are symbols of success and identity. The appetite for luxury automobiles has only grown: in Kerala, around 200 units priced above Rs 25 lakh are sold every month, with industry sales reaching nearly Rs 100 crore monthly. Kozhikode leads the state in luxury car purchases, while Malappuram’s high numbers are often credited under Kozhikode’s sales records. The buyers are a familiar mix: NRI industrialists, medical entrepreneurs and businessmen.
“Here, a car is not just transport, it’s identity,” said Faisal Rahman, a Kozhikode-based enthusiast who organises weekend supercar meets. “People pour their savings, even Gulf earnings, into these dream machines. For some it’s pure passion, for others it’s about prestige.”
A Malappuram-based collector, who owns several vintage models, said, “Most of us buy legally, paying the full duty. But unfortunately, such smuggling cases put every owner under suspicion.”
Officials admit they have long been wary of mismatched registrations. “Kerala, especially northern districts, has always had a craze for imported cars,” said an officer from the motor vehicles department in Malappuram. “However, when luxury cars show up here with registrations from northeastern states or even Bhutan, that’s a red flag. People think it’s just tax evasion, but it’s far deeper. Such vehicles can’t be insured properly, nor can they be legally transferred.”
Customs officials say Bhutan’s lower tax structure and trade provisions have been systematically exploited. Cars are imported legally into Bhutan, but then smuggled into India, where buyers enjoy steep discounts compared to the official market. The customs’ Kerala raids are part of a wider operation with suspected links to rackets in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
However, enthusiasts insist that North Kerala’s passion for luxury and vintage cars will endure. “Cars are part of our dreams here. But we have to pursue them legally. Otherwise, it taints the passion and risks everything we’ve built around this culture,” said Rahman.
Elaborate racket
Customs conducted sweeping raids across Kozhikode, Malappuram and Kochi as part of Operation ‘Numkhor’, uncovering an elaborate racket smuggling luxury cars into India through Bhutan, bypassing massive tax liabilities
Over 30 locations were searched and 11 vehicles were seized from Kozhikode and Malappuram alone. They will be brought to the customs office at Karipur airport