Yusuf Sharif, a businessman from Bangalore, was shocked to see officials at his residence on July 23, armed with evidence that he had been using two Maharashtra-registered luxury vehicles in Karnataka without paying taxes of Maharashtra. The cars in question were a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Rolls-Royce Ghost. He had purchased the cars from two film stars — Phantom from Amitabh Bachchan, and Ghost from Aamir Khan. The businessman had to pay Rs. 19.80 lakh as overdue road taxes for two years on the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and Rs. 18.50 lakh on the car he bought from Aamir.
Reportedly, the Phantom car had been impounded in 2021 but the authorities let it go against payment of a penalty of Rs. 5,500. It is said that higher-ups may have intervened and “settled” the matter then, but the files may have been reopened, now that the stars were no longer the owners.