In a sweeping, state-wide crackdown codenamed 'Operation Numkhor', the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate in Kochi, Kerala, seized 36 high-end luxury vehicles, possibly blowing the lid off a sophisticated smuggling racket that illegally imported second-hand cars from Bhutan.

The operation, which involved raids at 30 to 35 locations across Kerala, has also cast a spotlight on prominent Malayalam actors, including Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj, and Iyobinte Pusthakam -fame Amith Chakalakkal, whose residences were searched.

“Numkhor” means “vehicle” in the Bhutanese Dzongkha language. The operation under the same name was launched after a meticulous five-to-six-month investigation identified between 150 and 200 illegally imported cars in Kerala alone, detailed Dr T. Tiju, the Customs (Pr

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