India, Sept. 28 -- M alayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan has moved the Kerala High Court challenging the seizure of his luxury vehicle by Customs. The actor's plea, filed on September 26, comes after officials took possession of his car earlier this week as part of a sweeping investigation into alleged smuggling of high-end vehicles. The case is linked to Operation Numkhor, a large-scale crackdown by the Customs Preventive wing, which derives its name from the Bhutanese word for "vehicle". The raids, spanning nearly 30 locations across Kerala, targeted the residences of prominent actors including Prithviraj Sukumaran, Amit Chakkalackal and Dulquer himself. In total, officials reportedly seized around 38 luxury cars suspected to have been smuggled from Bhutan using forged papers. At Salmaan's residence, officials confiscated a 2004 Land Rover Defender, which the actor is said to have purchased last year. In his petition, Dulquer disputed the seizure, stating the car was bought from the Indian Red Cross, carried valid ownership documents, and was duly registered. He argued there was no reason to suspect any illegality in the purchase. According to his plea, customs officials ignored the documents provided and carried out the seizure in what he termed a "hasty and arbitrary" manner. On September 25, the actor submitted a representation to the department with all supporting papers, but when the vehicle was not released, he turned to the High Court. Dulquer further cautioned that leaving the car idle and exposed to the elements could cause irreparable damage, and sought its release through judicial intervention. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court directed the Customs Department to file its response to the actor's petition. HTC...