The Directorate of Audit, Intelligence and Investigation (VAT) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has seized 3,16,400 sticks of illegal foreign cigarettes while conducting raids in two residential buildings in the capital’s Mohammadpur area.

Two preventive teams of VAT intelligence conducted simultaneous raids on September 16 based on secret information as part of efforts to protect government revenue and prevent illegal marketing of tobacco products, according to an NBR press release here today.

The teams began the raids around 11:00am at a building in PC Culture Housing in Shyamoli and another building in Johuri Mohalla in Mohammadpur. Two concealed warehouses were found locked.

Later, the warehouses were identified with the assistance of the buildings’ security guards. As the warehouse owner could not be found, the teams, with the cooperation of the building owners, brought in workers from outside and broke open the locks to enter the warehouses.