ED conducts raids at Dulquer, Mammootty residences

Kochi: Actor Dulquer Salmaan showed up at his Elamkulam home on Wednesday while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches linked to an alleged car import racket. He had flown in from Chennai after being called in by the agency, sources said.

At the same time, ED teams were also at the Chennai houses of Dulquer and his father, Mammootty. The veteran actor, who had just wrapped a film shoot in Hyderabad, returned home earlier in the day as news of the raids broke.

In all, the ED is said to be checking around 17 locations, among them two houses belonging to Mammootty’s family in Kochi, actor Prithviraj’s flats in Thevara and Thoppumpady, and car dealer Amit Chakkalakkal’s residence in Kaloor. Officials maintained the searches are part of a probe under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The latest round of action comes right after the Kerala High Court ordered Customs to hand back to Dulquer a luxury car that had been seized under Operation Nummkhore. The car, according to Customs, was part of a batch of high-end vehicles allegedly brought into the country through Bhutan to dodge import duty, a charge that earlier triggered raids at the homes of Dulquer and Prithviraj.

The High Court, in its interim order, said Dulquer could reclaim the vehicle by filing a request with the Assistant Commissioner of Customs. It also added that the release could come with certain conditions, and if his plea was turned down, officials would have to spell out exactly why.