Operation Numkhor: Customs arrests car dealer, seizes more luxury SUVs in Kerala  

KOCHI: In a major breakthrough under 'Operation Numkhor'—the ongoing crackdown on a luxury vehicle smuggling syndicate operating from Bhutan—Customs officials have seized a premium Nissan Patrol SUV from a showroom in Kalamassery. The vehicle, which was recently featured in the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Lucky Baskhar, was recovered from Eldho Paul, a partner at Signature Cars.

The seizure follows the arrest of Sainmarva, a partner at the Kozhikode-based Roadway Car Dealership, who allegedly maintains direct ties with the international smuggling network.

According to investigators, the mastermind behind the multi-state racket is Bishwadeep Das (35), a senior IT engineer hailing from Jaigaon, West Bengal. Das reportedly routed the illicit vehicles to the Kozhikode dealership through a Delhi-based middleman. Acting on this lead, officials have already impounded eight luxury cars valued at ₹1.5 crore.

Lakshadweep-Assam nexus

The syndicate allegedly smuggled at least 464 vehicles from Bhutan and Nepal, legitimising them using forged paperwork. The racket fabricated documents to show the vehicles were initially registered in Lakshadweep before re-registering them at the Bongaigaon Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Assam. The Assam Police, currently running a parallel probe, have arrested five individuals so far, including Bongaigaon District Transport Officer (DTO) Deepak Potawari.

Bilateral crackdown launched

In response to the escalating crisis, Indian and Bhutanese Customs authorities have launched a joint offensive to seal the smuggling corridors. A high-level 10-member Bhutanese delegation, led by their Customs Commissioner, recently concluded a multi-day strategic meeting with Indian counterparts in Munnar.

'Operation Numkhor' was initiated by the Customs Preventive Wing in September 2023 following intelligence that condemned Bhutanese military vehicles and other scrapped automobiles were being refurbished and sold in India at premium prices. While the probe initially targeted 142 specific vehicles, a deeper investigation has blown the lid off a massive scam involving the illegal import of nearly 15,000 vehicles into the country.