Dhaka:A joint team of four intelligence agencies under the National Board of Revenue (NBR) conducted a raid on Kingfisher Restaurant Ltd. in Gulshan, Dhaka, seizing a large quantity of alcohol and alcoholic beverages without valid documents.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the raid occurred around 1230 am, following confidential information received by the NBR that highly dutiable goods, particularly alcohol and alcoholic beverages, were being procured and sold through duty evasion.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) supervised the operation, aiming to identify stocks of alcohol obtained from illegal sources or through smuggling, prevent value-added tax (VAT) evasion on local sales, verify the declaration of sales proceeds in income tax returns, and examine potential links with money laundering. The operation, lasting approximately three hours, resulted in the discovery of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in the restaurant's warehouse and display areas, as well as a concealed room containing unrecorded alcohol and beer.
An NBR press release detailed the seized goods, which included 826 litres of various liquor brands such as VAT 69, Chivas, Black Label, Red Label, Jack Daniel's, Gold Label, Gordon's Gin, and Absolut Vodka, along with 1,533 litres of domestic and foreign beer, including Hunter and Heineken. The total value of the seized products was estimated at Tk 4.0282 crore, including Taka 41.758 lakh in duties.
The restaurant, not registered as an importer, was unable to provide invoices for the majority of the seized products, particularly the foreign liquor and beer. The operation involved officials from the Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit (TIIU), the VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (VAIID), the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC), and the CIID, with the Special Response Battalion (SRB-1) providing support.
The authorities conducted the raid under the Customs Act, 2023, the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012, the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Rules, 2016, and the Income Tax Act, 2023. The CIID indicated that further legal action would be taken following the raid.