IndiaCustoms authorities in Kochi, India, have seized two additional SUVs during Operation Numkhor, a national initiative targeting the smuggling of premium used vehicles through Bhutan and fraudulent registration practices involving Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) officials. The vehicles, including two Toyota Land Cruisers from Bengaluru, were found to have fake registration certificates, suggesting efforts to legitimize their origins and avoid detection. This brings the total number of seized vehicles to 60. Notably, among the seized vehicles were those owned by actors Dulquer Salmaan and Amit Chakkalackal, prompting further questioning of Salmaan. In May, eight SUVs were seized in Kerala, and earlier this year, five suspects were arrested, including Dipak Patowary, a District Transport Officer from Assam. Patowary and others were implicated in registering over 464 vehicles using forged documents, falsely claiming they originated from Lakshadweep. Customs has compiled a list of 200 potentially smuggled vehicles in Kerala and identified two major smuggling networks, one in Coimbatore and another in Assam, allegedly collaborating with MVD officials to manipulate the Parivahan database.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual account of customs operations against smuggling and document forgery, focusing on law enforcement actions and legal procedures. While the issue of corruption within government departments (MVD) is highlighted, the reporting remains objective, citing official sources (e
