Crackdown on Car Smuggling: Operation Numkhor Targets Imported SUVs
Customs officials in Kerala are investigating the smuggling of a 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, registered in Arunachal Pradesh but belonging to Mahin Ansari of Muvattupuzha. Linked to Operation Numkhor, this SUV is part of a wider investigation involving dozens of vehicles suspected of being smuggled into India from Bhutan.
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Officials from the Customs Preventive unit in Kerala have intensified their investigation into the suspected smuggling of second-hand SUVs from Bhutan. Prominent among these is a 1992-model Toyota Land Cruiser first owned by Mahin Ansari, which was registered in Arunachal Pradesh.
This vehicle, believed to have been imported into India in 2012, has raised additional eyebrows as it is undergoing a suspicious color change at a workshop in Kochi. Customs officials are now seeking answers from Mahin regarding the authenticity of the vehicle's importation and its Assam registration address found to be forged.
Dubbed Operation Numkhor, this broader Customs investigation has seized 38 vehicles to date. The operation has also implicated cars owned by celebrities such as Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in this growing scandal, with officials estimating over 200 Bhutan-registered vehicles may be operating in Kerala illegally.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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