NBR drive at 4 bars-clubs of Dhaka including bar of Salman Muqtadir’s father-in-law

National Board of Revenue (NBR) has started a coordinated drive to investigate the allegations of illegal sources of alcohol products, evasion of customs, value added tax (VAT) and income tax and supply to unauthorized customers at various bars, restaurants and other institutions of Dhaka.

The officers of various agencies of NBR started search, inspection and verification of documents at four institutions of the capital simultaneously on Saturday (October 3). One of the institutions where the drive was conducted is Foo-Wang Bowling and Services Limited. The owner of the institution is Sheikh Nurul Islam, who is the father-in-law of content creator Salman Muqtadir.

NBR sources informed that the allegation of collecting alcohol and alcohol products from illegal sources at several bars, restaurants, diplomatic bonded warehouses and duty-free shops of the capital was received on the basis of secret information. At the same time there is also the allegation of evasion of applicable customs, VAT and income tax against these products and supply to unauthorised customers.

A special drive is being conducted in coordination with various agencies under NBR on the basis of these allegations. Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate has formed four separate teams for the drive. Officers of Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit, Central Intelligence Cell, VAT Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate and Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (North) took part with the teams.

The four institutions where the drive was conducted on Saturday are Raw Canvas Restaurant, Habib Hotel International, Margarita Lounge and Foo-Wang Bowling and Services Limited. Along with on-the-spot inspection at these institutions search and verification of documents are being done. The activity of seizing the concerned products is also continuing as required.

In the drive the quantity of the stocked alcohol and alcohol products of the institutions is being verified. At the same time the information of the legal sources of these products, the papers of import or purchase, and the payment of customs-VAT and other applicable taxes is also being examined. Along with this the officers are also verifying whether the products have been collected from authorized sources according to the law and supplied to authorized customers.

The officers of NBR have informed that subsequent legal measures will be taken on the basis of the information found primarily in the drive. Measures may be taken under the concerned law if any irregularity or proof of tax evasion is found.

There is a plan to hold a press conference at the ground floor of NBR in Agargaon of the capital at 10:30pm on Saturday to inform the information found primarily after the end of the drive and the overall results.

Earlier four warehouses of Sheikh Nurul Islam, the father-in-law of Salman Muqtadir, were sealed on the allegation of stockpiling duty-free liquor last Thursday.