Kochi, Sep 27 : In a significant development, the Customs Department has sought the assistance of the Kerala Police to trace vehicles and their owners linked to the widening probe in Operation Numkhor. Officials disclosed that around 138 such vehicles have already reached Kerala, underscoring the large scale of the racket.

The Customs department in Kerala recently carried out widespread raids at the homes of several Malayalam film actors as part of an investigation into luxury car smuggling.

The operation, code-named Numkhor, targeted residences, car showrooms, and other premises across the state.

Officials say the crackdown followed suspicions that high-end vehicles were being illegally brought into India from Bhutan using forged documents and then registered locally to avoid hefty import duties and taxes. Among those raided were the homes of well-known actors Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Amith Chakkalackal.

The coordination between Customs and Police is expected to play a decisive role in tracking down the vehicles, identifying their owners, and dismantling the chain of intermediaries who facilitated the operations.

Customs revealed that they have now obtained crucial information about intermediaries, with the testimony of Mahin Ansari based in Malapurram emerging as a turning point in the investigation.

Authorities confirmed that a group of middlemen operating out of Delhi is under scrutiny.

Ansari's own luxury vehicle, a Land Rover, was found to have been directly imported from Bhutan and then fraudulently registered in Arunachal Pradesh.

He has been directed to appear again for questioning next Monday.

In addition, his call records and travel documents are being closely examined to establish further links.

The revelations suggest a broader modus operandi involving fraudulent cross-border imports and registrations of high-end vehicles. Investigators believe the same methods may have been used to bring several luxury cars into the country under false documentation.

Amid these developments, noted actor Dulquer Salmaan has approached the Kerala High Court.

The petition is expected to come up for consideration soon, potentially influencing aspects of the probe related to vehicle ownership and registration.

Operation Numkhor, which began as a focussed enquiry into suspicious vehicle movements, has now transformed into a high-profile investigation spanning multiple states.

With inter-agency cooperation underway and even celebrities being drawn into the case, authorities anticipate the probe will intensify further in the coming days.

Now with the police also soon joining the operations, all eyes are on the names of those who are in hiding and when it will surface.

/IANS