NBR raids Gulshan restaurant, seizes large number of alcohol

A coordinated team of four intelligence agencies under the National Board of Revenue (NBR) seized a large quantity of alcohol and alcoholic beverages allegedly held without valid documentation during a raid on King Fisher Restaurant in the capital's Gulshan area.

The raid was conducted at the restaurant, located at Plot 33, Road 45, around 12:30AM on Monday, and continued for approximately three hours, according to an NBR statement issued this morning.

The operation aimed to determine whether the restaurant had been stockpiling and selling alcohol obtained from illegal sources to evade customs duties and taxes.

The NBR said the raid followed confidential information suggesting that highly dutiable goods, particularly alcohol and alcoholic beverages, were being procured and sold through tax evasion.

Investigators sought to establish whether the seized products had been sourced illegally or through smuggling, whether value-added tax (VAT) had been evaded on sales, whether sales proceeds had been properly declared in income tax returns, and whether any transactions were linked to money laundering.

The operation was conducted under NBR directives and the overall supervision of the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation.

Four agencies participated in the raid: the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC), the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation (CIID), the Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit (TIIU), and the VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (VAIID). 

The Special Response Battalion (SRB-1) provided support throughout the operation.

The NBR said the raid was carried out under the authority of the Customs Act, 2023, the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012, the Income Tax Act, 2023, and relevant regulations.

Details of the quantity of alcohol seized, preliminary findings, the estimated amount of duty and tax evasion, and subsequent legal action will be disclosed later, the statement added.