Wedding hall staff take FBR officials hostage during tax raid

KARACHI: A routine tax raid turned tense in the port city as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials were held hostage by staff at a wedding hall on Dalmia Road.

According to Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Hamza, the wedding hall was suspected of under-reporting earnings, prompting the FBR to launch an inspection.

While the FBR team had been conducting their investigation into the alleged under-reporting of income, they found themselves detained by the hall’s employees.

Upon arrival, FBR officials said, the team was met with unexpected resistance from the staff, who held the officials against their will.

Hamza stated that he was alerted to the incident and arrived at the scene promptly to negotiate. 

Following initial talks, some members of the FBR team were released, though tension remained high.

Local police were notified, yet the hall staff reportedly showed little regard for their presence. 

After several hours of negotiations, all FBR officials were eventually freed.

Speaking to Geo News after the ordeal, Assistant Commissioner Hamza described the incident as a “departmental misunderstanding” and confirmed that the hall staff had been summoned to the FBR office the following day for further discussions