KARACHI: A routine tax inspection took a dramatic turn in Karachi when Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials were held hostage by staff members at a wedding hall on Dalmia Road.
Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Hamza reported that the hall was under suspicion for under-reporting its earnings, prompting the FBR to conduct an inspection.
As the team investigated alleged discrepancies in reported income, hall employees detained the FBR officials.
The officials encountered unexpected resistance upon arrival, and the staff held them against their will.
Alerted to the situation, Assistant Commissioner Hamza arrived promptly to negotiate, leading to the partial release of some team members, though tensions remained high.
Local police were called to the scene, but the hall staff reportedly disregarded their presence.
After hours of negotiation, all FBR officials were eventually freed. Speaking to Geo News, the assistant commissioner called the incident a “departmental misunderstanding” and confirmed that the hall staff had been summoned to the FBR office the following day for further discussions.
