‘That walk…’: Dulquer Salmaan fans react as Malayalam actor ignores reporters after ED raid
Dulquer Salmaan challenged the seizure of his car, claiming it harmed his reputation. He argues the vehicle was validly registered and criticises Customs for their actions.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 17 properties across Kerala and Tamil Nadu on October 8. It also conducted raids at the homes of Malayalam stars Dulquer Salmaan, Mammootty and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
In the afternoon, Dulquer Salman was seen arriving in Kochi. The Lokah producer was dressed casually in a blue shirt, jeans and a cap.
When reporters tried to question him, he paid them no attention. Avoiding engagement, he left in his car. Now, the swag in his walk, the confidence in his appearance and the heroic composure have attracted many comments from his fans.
Some social media accounts have even used a slo-mo version of the walk, with thrilling background music. They made it look like a movie scene.
Many Dulquer Salman fans have also commented.
“That walk that blew the paparazzi in the wind,” wrote one of them.
“He doesn't want anything else; his cars are enough,” posted another fan.
Another posted, “This is the behaviour of an honest person.”
One user just wrote, “Boss spotted.”
ED raids in Kerala and Tamil Nadu
The recent ED raids in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are linked to a luxury car smuggling racket involving illegal import. The agency is probing the registration of luxury vehicles like Land Cruisers, Defenders and Maseratis through India-Bhutan and India-Nepal routes.
Officials suspect a Coimbatore-based network used fake Army, US Embassy and MEA papers to sell cars cheaply to rich buyers, including film stars. Raids covered 17 sites across Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kottayam, Coimbatore and Chennai.
How is Dulquer Salmaan involved?
On September 23, Customs arrested 36 luxury cars from about 30 sites across Kerala. Those included cars belonging to Dulquer Salmaan, Prithviraj Sukumaran. The raids were linked to Operation Numkhor, which translates to "vehicle" in Bhutanese.
Salmaan challenged the seizure in court, arguing it harmed his public image. He has also accused the media of sensationalising the case and damaging his reputation.
According to Dulquer Salmaan, the vehicle was sent by the International Committee of the Red Cross to their New Delhi office. He claims he believed the car had valid registration and ownership. He says he had no reason to doubt it.
The Lucky Baskhar actor claims Customs ignored the documents he provided and acted in a “hasty” and “arbitrary” manner.
On October 7, the Kerala High Court permitted Dulquer Salmaan to apply for the provisional return of his car seized by Customs. It directed the ED to consider it within one week if Salmaan filed such a plea.