Updated on: Oct 07, 2025 09:01 pm IST
The Kerala High Court questioned the Customs Department over its seizure of actor Dulquer Salmaan’s Land Rover.
The Kerala High Court questioned the Customs Department over the seizure of actor Dulquer Salmaan‘s vintage Land Rover on Tuesday (October 7). The court questioned the customs officials on what grounds the seizure was made, citing the lack of adequate reasons and evidence, as per a report on Live Law. The seizure comes in the wake of Operation Numkhor, a large-scale investigation launched by the Customs Preventive wing.
What the Kerala HC said
It was Ziyad Rahman A.A. who was hearing Dulquer Salmaan’s petition on the seizure of his car. During the hearing, the judge asked the customs officials. “What are the documents? What evidence do you have in respect of this? With respect to maintainability, I am not ready to accept your contention. The question is entertainability, not maintainability. If it is seized without following any procedure, nothing would preclude this Court from interfering. What is the “reason to believe”?”
The judge further added, “Is it not necessary that even without substantiating anything, furnishing anything, you can simply reproduce the section? At least what the illegality is should be mentioned.” The Court further observed that while authorities were free to carry out an investigation, depriving a person of property purchased lawfully could not be justified in the absence of any material.
Dulquer approached the Kerala High Court on 26 September after the seizure of his luxury vehicle by customs officials. During the raids, officials reportedly seized 38 high-end luxury cars suspected to have been smuggled into India from Bhutan using forged papers. At Dulquer’s residence, officials seized a 2004 model Land Rover Defender, which the actor is said to have purchased last year.
More details
The operation, whose name is derived from the Bhutanese word Numkhor, meaning vehicle, targeted around 30 locations across the state, including residences of well-known actors such as Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan, and Amit Chakkalackal.
Dulquer had argued that if the car remains unused and exposed to the elements for an extended period, it could sustain damage beyond repair. He therefore sought directions from the court for its release.
