Woman Influencer Buys Toyota Land Cruiser J80: SUV Now Under Smuggling Investigation
The Customs department’s latest crackdown, ‘Operation Numkhor’ has been making unpleasant headlines. In the past few days, we saw as many as 36 vehicles being seized from the state of Kerala, for alleged connections with the Bhutan-India car smuggling trade and associated tax evasion. We know the plight that awaits most of the seized vehicles. Most likely, they are going to rot away in some yard. The fact that many of them are vintage and classic models- rare finds in the country- adds to the gravity of the loss. Shilpa Surendran is a popular influencer and off-road driver from Kerala, who invested all her savings into procuring and building a Toyota Land Cruiser J80. The latest wave of Operation Numkhor has left her shattered as the SUV is now under the Customs lens!
Probed, Not Seized
Soon after the 36-vehicle confiscation, the customs department conducted investigations in Adimali and Kundannoor as well. The influencer’s Land Cruiser was a 1996 model. It is currently undergoing some major maintenance works at a garage in Adimali.
Officials located the vehicle and asked Shilpa, who lives in Thiruvananthapuram, to produce its documents and clarify ownership details. By then, news reports surfaced, claiming that the SUV had already been seized.
Later, Shilpa denied these claims and clarified that the SUV is still at the garage. She further revealed the details of what happened, posting it as a story on her Instagram handle. She said that on September 24, 2025, she was contacted by the Customs department. Officials asked her to produce the SUV’s documents.
She submitted these at their office in Trivandrum, before travelling to Adimali. She even showed up at the garage to do a quick check on the vehicle.
The owner's remarks on Instagram contradict many media reports. The vehicle, according to her, was just inspected and not seized. Media, however, reported that it is under Customs custody and they chose to keep it confiscated at the garage, since it wasn’t in a drivable form.
One thing is for sure- this Land Cruiser J80 is under the Customs lens. Its ownership history and documents are now being scrutinised by the department.
Talking to the media, Shilpa said that she was unaware of the vehicle’s origin as she was the fifth owner. It had a KL55 (Tirur SRTO) number plate when she bought it. Before being registered in Kerala, it had KA plates and proper NOCs (No Objection Certificate).
These documents, she says, convinced her to move forward with the purchase. She was totally unsuspecting and unaware of the Bhutan-Kerala smuggling business.
Shilpa is quite popular on Instagram. She has over 92,000 followers and creates content in the automotive niche. Her handle has a lot of content around this J80 Land Cruiser. Soon after procuring it from the previous owner in Tirur, she had shared a video showing the SUV. Back then, it had a classy Brown paint.
Later, she shared videos of the Land Cruiser’s restoration journey. She had bought it for Rs 15 lakh, and an additional 5 lakh rupees was spent on restoring it. The influencer says that she pooled all her savings to fund this.
Now, most of the mechanical works has been completed. The SUV is also set to get a new paint job. She seems to have had plans for a grand, ‘Instagram-worthy’ reveal of the new colourway. The Customs raid seems to have shattered these completely.
Let’s be honest. It is very rare that you get to watch videos of a J80 being restored in India. This influencer’s handle delivers just the same. Plus, it feels good to see young women treasuring classics so well. Shilpa is determined to fight till she gets her prized possession out clean...