Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed that an automobile firm based in Coimbatore is behind a sophisticated Bhutan vehicle smuggling operation. The investigation identified Sadiq Basha and Imran Khan, owners of the Coimbatore-based firm Shine Motors, as the orchestrators of the racket.
The duo confessed to the ED that they, in collaboration with Shah Kinley, a former Bhutanese military personnel and middleman, smuggled 16 vehicles into India. These vehicles, acquired between 2023 and 2024, were transported to Jaigaon, located on the India-Bhutan border, and subsequently moved to Coimbatore in container trucks. Crucially, no customs permission was obtained, nor was any import duty paid during this process.
The ED’s probe further uncovered the preparation of fake No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and a series of illegal financial transactions conducted to facilitate the smuggling. Upon reaching Coimbatore, the smuggled vehicles were dismantled, and their spare parts were then sold across various Indian states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, often utilizing online platforms.
Transactions related to these illicit sales were primarily conducted in cash or through personal bank accounts, with no official records maintained. Searches conducted at garages and workshops in Coimbatore led to the recovery of spare parts from the dismantled vehicles. Digital evidence linking Shine Motors and its owners to vehicle dealers in Bhutan has also been obtained.
Concurrently, as part of ‘Operation Numkhore,’ Customs Preventive seized three more SUVs. The Customs investigation team confirmed that two of these vehicles belong to actor Amit Chakkalakkal, while the third is owned by a resident of Palakkad. Statements from these individuals are expected to be recorded soon. The vehicles were located with the assistance of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) and were found concealed in a plot in Elamakkara, believed by Customs to be a workshop yard. The seized vehicles include a Nissan Patrol, a two-seater Nissan Carriage, and a Toyota Prado. Two of these vehicles originated from Bhutan, with the details of the third still under verification. With these latest seizures, a total of 43 vehicles have been impounded under ‘Operation Numkhore’ thus far.