US EditionLuxury Cars, Fake Papers and Hawala Trails: ED Raids Malayalam Cinema's Biggest Names in Smuggling Case - The Statesman
Enforcement Directorate raids expose a Coimbatore-based syndicate smuggling luxury cars using forged documents and illegal foreign exchange transactions under the Foreign Exchange Management Act.
- On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the Enforcement Directorate's Kochi Zonal Office conducted raids under FEMA at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu in an ongoing luxury car smuggling probe.
- Authorities flagged unauthorised foreign exchange and hawala payments as the probe's trigger after prima facie violations of Sections 3, 4 and 8 of FEMA were detected in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Preliminary probes found fraudulent RTO registrations and forged letters purporting to be from the Indian Army, US Embassy and MEA, and authorities seized 37 high-value second-hand cars.
- Raids reached residences linked to Malayalam actors Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Amit Chakkalakkal and Mammootty, and Dulquer has sought vehicle release through the Kerala High Court.
- The raids follow statewide Customs operations at over 30 locations on September 23, 2025, and authorities say further investigation is underway to trace the money trail and beneficiary network.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Luxury car smuggling via Bhutan: ED raids 17 locations including properties of Dulquer, Prithviraj, Amith Chakkalackal
According to an official release from ED, the operation was launched based on inputs exposing a syndicate involved in the illegal import and.Dulquer Salmaan, ED raid Kochi, Luxury car smuggling Kerala, FEMA investigation Kerala, Prithviraj Sukumaran ED raid, Dulquer Salmaan car seizure, Amith Chackalackal ED, Operation Numkhor, Illegal car import India, Hawala transactions Kerala, Foreign exchange violations, Smuggled luxury vehicles, Customs Pr…
A day after Dulquer challenged Customs in Court, ED raids him, his father Mammootty, and Prithviraj Sukumaran
The agency said the raids, spanning 17 locations from Ernakulam to Coimbatore to Chennai, were linked to suspected violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Officials allege a Coimbatore-based network smuggled high-end cars such as Land Cruisers, Defenders, and Maseratis
ED raids homes of Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan and others
Kochi: The alleged Bhutan luxury car smuggling scandal took a serious turn on Wednesday with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launching simultaneous raids at 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including the homes of leading Malayalam actors Mammootty, his son Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amit Chakkalakkal. The searches were carried out at Mammootty’s Elamkulam residence near here, Dulquer’s houses in Kochi and Chennai, Prit…
Dulquer Salmaan, Film Stars' Houses Raided Again In Luxury Car Smuggling Case
Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan's house and over a dozen locations across South India were raided by the Enforcement Directorate amid a probe into smuggling cartels illegally importing high-end luxury vehicles from Bhutan, sources said.
ED Raids Kerala, Tamil Nadu Over Alleged Luxury Vehicle Smuggling; Film Stars Linked
The Enforcement Directorate raided 17 locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu targeting a syndicate involved in luxury car smuggling from Bhutan, with actors Prithviraj, Dulquer Salmaan, and Amit Chakkalackal among those affected.
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