Overview

• Searches covered premises linked to Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Amit Chakkalackal, plus auto dealers and workshops across Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam and Coimbatore, with one Chennai site tied to Mammootty.
• ED recorded Dulquer Salmaan’s statement during the operation after summoning him over transactions related to vehicles seized by Customs last month.
• Preliminary findings cite forged documents invoking the Indian Army, the US Embassy and the MEA and fraudulent RTO registrations in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and other states.
• The agency notes prima facie violations of FEMA Sections 3, 4 and 8 involving cross‑border hawala payments and is tracing the money trail, with a PMLA case being prepared according to official sources.
• The action follows Customs’ late‑September Operation Numkhor, which seized 36–37 luxury cars from about 30 locations and flagged 150–200 suspect registrations, with officials also reporting some vehicles used to move gold and narcotics.