NBR seizes huge cache of illegal liquors in Eram Hotel bar in Dhaka

A VAT detective team of the National Board of Revenue has seized a huge cache of illegal liquors raiding the bar of Eram Hotel in Dhaka’s Shukrabad.

Moinul Khan, the director general of VAT intelligence and audit, told bdnews24.com they found on Thursday that Eram had been selling liquor defying a government order.

The home ministry in March ordered all bars closed at hotels, restaurants and clubs until further notice as the government scrambled to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Eram had submitted VAT return showing zero sale during the suspension at NBR’s Mohammadpur Circle office, but receipts seized during the operation proved it was selling liquors, the directorate said in a statement.

The bar had also stashed liquors in the hotel’s roof, floors and garage, but could not provide relevant papers.

The seized goods include 374 bottles of foreign liquor and 3,672 cans of foreign beer.

The liquor brands included VAT 69, White Horse, Black and White, Black Ram, Smirnoff, Cherry Brandy, Passport and Ballantines while the beers included Heineken, Black Devil, and Hollandia.

The bar did not list the products worth Tk 10 million and evaded the VAT payable on sale, the statement said.  

The VAT detectives suspect the bar had the products smuggled in.