KARACHI  -  A routine tax inspection took an unexpected turn in the port city when Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials were held captive by staff members at a wedding hall on Dalmia Road. Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Hamza said that the wedding hall was suspected of under-reporting its earnings, leading the FBR to initiate an inspection.

During the investigation into alleged income discrepancies, the FBR team was detained by the hall’s employees. Upon arrival, the FBR officials said, the team met with unexpected resistance from the staff, who held the officials against their will. Hamza said that he was alerted to the incident and arrived at the scene promptly to negotiate. Following the 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 the FBR officials were eventually freed. Speaking to Geo News after the ordeal, the assistant commissioner 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.