• The Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi, has intensified “Operation Numkhor” against an international racket smuggling luxury vehicles from Bhutan into India.
• So far, 38 vehicles—including two Toyota Land Cruisers—have been seized, one from Adimali and another from a workshop in Kundannoor, Kerala.
• The latter marks the first “first-owner” vehicle seized under the operation.
•  The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central GST Department, and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) have joined the probe, with ED informing the Kerala High Court that racket proceeds may have been laundered as black money.
• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) may also step in to probe possible terror-financing links.
•  Officials allege that a Coimbatore-based network ran the racket, illegally importing vehicles under the guise of “second-hand Bhutanese imports” to exploit duty-free trade exemptions. Many of the seized vehicles were found plying Kerala roads with fake documents. Owners unable to produce valid papers face confiscation and legal action.
•  The case has drawn public attention after Malayalam actor Amit Chakkalakkal was questioned by Customs, though he was released after recording his statement. Authorities warn more high-profile names may surface as the investigation expands.