NBR Raids Kingfisher Restaurant in Gulshan, Seizes About 826 Litres of Liquor and 4,631 Cans of Beer
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has raided the Kingfisher Restaurant in Dhaka's Gulshan and seized a large quantity of alcohol and alcoholic drinks held without valid documents. The NBR disclosed the information in a press release on Monday (October 26).
According to the release, the establishment's registered name is Kingfisher Restaurant Limited. It is located at Plot 33 on Road 45 in Gulshan, on the ground, third and fourth floors of the building.
The raid began at about 12:30am on Sunday night and lasted about three hours. Four NBR intelligence agencies carried it out jointly on allegations that the establishment collected and sold high-duty products while evading customs duty.
The NBR said it received secret information that the establishment was collecting alcohol while evading duty and selling it, and the raid was based on that information. Its aims included identifying stocks of alcohol brought through illegal sources and smuggling, preventing VAT evasion on local sales, checking whether sale proceeds were properly shown in income tax records, and examining any money-laundering links in the transactions.
The raid was conducted under the supervision of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) on the NBR's instructions. The four agencies taking part were the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC), the CIID, the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit, and the VAT Audit Intelligence and Investigation Directorate. The police's specialised Special Response Battalion (SRB-1) assisted throughout.
The release said the raid was carried out under powers given in the relevant sections of the Customs Act 2023, the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act 2012, the VAT Rules 2016 and the Income Tax Act 2023.
The NBR release did not give a detailed list of the seized goods. However, according to preliminary information citing officials involved in the raid, about 826 litres of local and foreign liquor and about 1,533 litres of beer in 4,631 cans were seized from the establishment. Officials cross-checked the restaurant's register, NBR-approved software and warehouse stock information; the goods were seized because the authorities could not show valid papers for them.
The NBR said details on the seized goods, preliminary inquiry findings, possible duty and tax evasion and the next legal steps would be given at a press briefing. No comment from the Kingfisher Restaurant authorities on the raid was available.
This is the NBR's second major raid on bars and restaurants in the capital within a month. On October 3, simultaneous raids on four bars and establishments in Gulshan, Uttara and Tejgaon seized 230 bottles of various brands and about another 637 litres of unauthorised liquor.
This is not the first allegation against Kingfisher. In January 2024, Gulshan police warned the establishment for keeping its bar open after 10:30pm in violation of licence rules, according to the report.
