Customs intelligence raids 4 Dhaka restaurants and bars, including one linked to Salman Muqtadir's father-in-law

The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) raided four restaurants and bars in Dhaka today (3 October) and seized hundreds of litres of unauthorised alcohol and other products as part of an investigation into possible revenue evasion.

The establishments are Fu-Wang Bowling and Services Ltd in Gulshan, Margarita Lounge in Uttara, Habib Hotel International in Tejgaon and Raw Canvas Bar and Restaurant in Gulshan.

The raids were conducted from the afternoon by four teams comprising officials from the NBR's Central Intelligence Cell, Customs Intelligence, Income Tax Intelligence Unit, VAT Intelligence and local VAT commissionerates.

The Special Response Battalion (SRB) and Ansar also assisted the operation.

At a briefing at the NBR office in Agargaon at around 10:30pm, CIID Additional Director General Rezvi Ahmed said the raids were aimed at preventing the stockpiling and sale of unauthorised liquor and evasion of customs duties and taxes.

According to the official, at Fu-Wang Bowling and Services Ltd, the team seized 230 bottles of liquor of different brands that the establishment could not produce valid documents for. The bottles were being moved outside the restaurant in a small covered van when the team arrived and intercepted the vehicle.

The team also seized ginseng and around 1kg of saffron from the establishment.

Ginseng is a restricted import requiring approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration, while saffron carries high customs duties. The establishment could not produce valid import or purchase documents for the products.

The NBR also collected the establishment's import, local purchase, sales and stock records for further verification.

At Margarita Lounge, the team seized 608 litres of liquor without valid authorisation, including 36 litres of locally produced liquor such as Carew & Co and Hunter products, while the rest were foreign liquor.

At Habib Hotel International, officials found that the bar operating at the hotel was not licensed in the hotel's name. The bar licence was issued in the name of "Habib Hotel" and that the establishment could not produce the required approval from the Department of Narcotics Control.

The NBR collected the hotel's import, local purchase, stock and sales records, as well as relevant data from its software system, for further scrutiny.

At Raw Canvas Bar and Restaurant, officials seized 29 litres of unauthorised liquor. No one was arrested during the raids.

NBR sources said at least one of the four establishments is owned by Sheikh Nur Islam, the father-in-law of content creator Salman Muqtadir.

Asked whether the raids were linked to the recent vandalism of Muqtadir's studio, his subsequent remarks or the government's response to the incident, a senior NBR intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied any such connection.

He told The Business Standard that the raids were part of the NBR's routine and ongoing enforcement activities and had no other connection.