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The operation covered 17 premises including residences and establishments of film stars like Prithviraj, Dulquer Salman and Amith Chackalacal.
Malyalam actor Dulquer Salmaan (Image: dqsalmaan/Instagram)
The Kochi Zonal Office is conducting search operations at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Wednesday under FEMA, 1999. The searches came in connection with the ongoing probe into the smuggling of high-end luxury vehicles and unauthorised foreign exchange dealings.
The searches were based on inputs exposing a syndicate engaged in illegal import and registration of luxury cars such as Land Cruiser, Defender, and Maserati through Indo-Bhutan and Nepal routes.
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Preliminary findings revealed that a Coimbatore-based network was using forged documents (purporting to be from the Indian Army, the US Embassy, and the Ministry of External Affairs) and fraudulent RTO registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and other states.
Vehicles were later sold to HNI individuals, including film personalities, at undervalued prices.
ED action was initiated as prima facie violations of Sections 3, 4, and 8 of FEMA were detected — involving unauthorised foreign exchange transactions and cross-border payments through hawala channels.
Further investigation is underway to trace the money trail, beneficiary network, and foreign exchange movement.
The operation covered 17 premises including residences and establishments of film stars like Prithviraj, Dulquer Salman and Amith Chackalacal, certain vehicle owners, auto workshops, and traders in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam, and Coimbatore.
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
Kerala, India, India
October 08, 2025, 09:13 IST
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