Secret room behind billboard at Gulshan's Kingfisher restaurant: 2,359 litres of liquor and beer seized

A team formed of four intelligence agencies of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has seized 2,359 litres of liquor and beer in a raid on a restaurant named 'Kingfisher' in the capital's Gulshan. The raid, which began at around 12:30am on Sunday night, lasted about three hours. Alongside the restaurant's display area and warehouse, the unregistered foreign liquor and beer were found in a secret room hidden behind a billboard.

The information was given at a press conference at the office of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate in the capital's Kakrail on Monday afternoon. The directorate's Additional Director General Rezvi Ahmed spoke there, with VAT and tax intelligence officials also present.

Rezvi Ahmed said an attempt was made during the raid to frighten the team with pet animals. There was less liquor on the shelves than the number of customers would suggest, but suspicion led the team to open the billboard. The establishment did not cooperate over the secret room there, did not provide the key to the room's door, and various tactics were used. However, the raid was not obstructed, so no one was detained, he said, adding that legal action would be taken after the investigation.

It was told at the press conference that the raid was conducted on secret information that highly dutiable goods, especially liquor and alcoholic drinks, were being collected and sold evading duty. Its purpose was to verify the goods' lawful source, check whether VAT had been evaded on sales, whether sale proceeds were shown in income tax records, and whether money laundering was involved in the transactions.

According to the customs intelligence agency, 826 litres of liquor of various brands and 1,533 litres of beer of local and foreign brands were seized in the raid. The brands include Chivas Regal, Black Label, Red Label, Jack Daniel's, Gold Label, Gordon's gin and Absolut vodka. Beer of Hunter, Heineken and other brands was also found.

By initial calculation, the market value of the seized goods is about Tk 91.98 lakh, though their total value including applicable duty and tax is about Tk 4 crore 2 lakh 82 thousand. The NBR said the establishment is not registered as a liquor importer, and during the raid it could not present any lawful invoice or document for buying and selling local and foreign liquor and beer.

Officials of the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit, the VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, the Central Intelligence Cell and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate took part in the raid, assisted by members of the Special Response Battalion (SRB-1). Information on the establishment's four directors is being verified, it was told at the press conference.

SRB-1 commander Lieutenant Colonel Md Neyamul Halim Khan said at night that an SRB-1 team took part to ensure the safety of the government agency members in the raid. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Gulshan division Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ruhul Kabir Khan said no case had been filed at Gulshan Police Station over the incident.