ED raids prominent actors, agents in Kerala luxury cars smuggling case
Kochi (PTI): The ED on Wednesday raided premises linked to actors Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan and Amit Chakkalackal and some others across Kerala and in Tamil Nadu as part of an investigation linked to a recent Customs case related to alleged smuggling of luxury vehicles from Bhutan to India, official sources said.
The searches by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also covered certain vehicle owners, auto workshops, and traders in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu).
A total of 17 premises are being covered, the sources said.
The action is being taken under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in a recent case unearthed by the Customs Preventive department related to alleged smuggling of luxury vehicles and unauthorised foreign exchange dealings, they said.
The searches are based on inputs about a syndicate engaged in illegal import and registration of high-end cars such as Land Cruiser, Defender, and Maserati through the India-Bhutan and India-Nepal routes, they said.
Preliminary findings, according to the officials, point to a Coimbatore-based network that used "forged" documents (purporting to be from Indian Army, US Embassy, and MEA) and fraudulent RTO registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and some other states.
The vehicles were later sold to high-net worth (HNI) individuals, including film personalities, at undervalued prices, they alleged.
The ED suspects that the case bears "prima facie" violations of Sections 3, 4, and 8 of FEMA that involves unauthorised foreign exchange transactions and cross-border payments through hawala channels.
In a linked development, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed Dulquer Salmaan to file an application for the provisional release of his vehicle seized by the Customs Preventive Department and directed the agency to consider it within one week if such a plea is filed.
According to Dulquer, the vehicle was shipped by the International Committee of the Red Cross to the ICRC Regional Delegation in New Delhi.
In his petition, the actor stated that he was under the bona fide belief that the vehicle had valid ownership and registration with the Motor Vehicle Authority, and there was nothing to make him suspect its validity.
The actor claimed that Customs officials refused to examine the vehicle's documents handed over to them and carried out the seizure in a hasty and arbitrary fashion.
The Customs officials conducted raids at around 30 locations across Kerala on September 23, including the homes of the three actors, and seized 36 luxury cars.
The raids, part of 'Operation Numkhor', revealed that some of these vehicles were also used to smuggle gold and drugs.
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Allen, Raghuvanshi, Green power KKR to 29-run win over GT
Kolkata (PTI): Finn Allen blasted a 35-ball 93, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit an unbeaten 44-ball 82 as Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 29-run win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL match here on Saturday.
Sent in to bat, Allen went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 maximums and four boundaries to add 95 off 41 balls with Raghuvanshi (82).
Raghuvanshi then shared another 108 off 53 balls with Cameron Green (52 not out) to power KKR to a challenging 247 for 2.
In reply, GT could manage 218-4, riding on skipper Shubman Gill's 49-ball 85 and a 35-ball 57 from Jos Buttler. Opener Sai Sudarsan was retired hurt but returned to make a 28-ball 53 not out.
Sunil Narine (2/29) claimed two wickets and Saurabh Dubey snapped one for KKR.
For GT, Mohammed Siraj (1/50), Sai Kishore (1/38) were the wicket-takers.
Brief Score:
KKR: 247 for 2 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 93, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 82 not out, Camero Green 52 not out; Mohammed Siraj 1/50).
GT: 218 for 4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 85, Sunil Narine 2/29).
