Published : 14 Aug 2024, 11:46 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 11:31 AM
Mohammad Rassel, founder of the e-commerce platform Evaly, and his wife Shamima Nasreen, its chairman, have been acquitted of charges of fraud and breach of trust after they reached a settlement with the plaintiff.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sheikh Sadi announced the verdict on Thursday.
Abu Taher Roni, the plaintiff's lawyer, said that the court accepted the testimony of two witnesses in the case. After arguments on Apr 24, the verdict was scheduled for May 23.
"Fearing punishment, the defendants offered a compromise, which the plaintiff accepted. They were summoned to court again, and on Thursday, the defendants returned the money to the plaintiff before the court. As a result, the court acquitted them.”
According to the complaint, plaintiff Ali Reza Faruk paid Tk 2,96,348 to Evaly on Nov 29, 2021, for buying a motorbike. When the company failed to deliver the motorbike on time, they issued a cheque to Faruk.
Faruk alleged that the cheque was rejected when he submitted it to the bank on Jan 16, 2022.
He informed Evaly about this, and they promised to refund the money but failed to do so. After sending a legal notice, Faruk filed a case in court under sections 406 and 420 of the Penal Code.
Launched in 2018, Evaly gained prominence with its lucrative offers on home appliances, TV, refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, motorcycles, and other products.
Many customers capitalised on Evaly's generous discounts of up to 50 percent by reselling the products. They invested in reselling products purchased from Evaly by borrowing hundreds of thousands of taka or selling land and gold ornaments.
However, the company came under the spotlight when thousands of customers complained about not receiving their orders or refunds after making payments in advance.
Evaly's liabilities to customers and suppliers eventually amounted to Tk 5.43 billion. Amid the controversy, disgruntled customers launched protests against Evaly and several other e-commerce companies in 2021, accusing them of fraud and embezzlement
This case of Ali Reza Faruk is among dozens of lawsuits filed against Rassel and his wife during that period.
The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Rassel and Shamima on Sept 16, 2021, based on a complaint from a customer facing similar issues.
Shamima was granted bail on Apr 6, 2022, after spending eight months behind bars. Rassel was released on bail in December 2023.
On Mar 4, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Begum Farha Dibah Chhanda issued arrest warrants against Rassel and Shamima in three cases. The plaintiffs, Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Moinuddin, and Taufiq Mahmud, claimed to be victims of similar fraud.
On Mar 7, the same court ordered the confiscation of assets belonging to Rassel and his wife Shamima in a case involving charges of fraud and breach of trust.
The plaintiff in this case is Mujahid Hasan Fahim, a customer of Evaly.
On Mar 28, charges were framed against Rassel and Shamima by Dhaka's Sixth Joint Metropolitan Sessions Judge Humayun Kabir, who also issued arrest warrants against them in a case filed by another Evaly customer, Tofazzal Hossain, on similar charges.
Rassel spoke to reporters after a review meeting on resolving complaints against e-commerce establishments and clearing stuck payments in payment gateways at the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection in Karwan Bazar in Dhaka on May 19. They again try to resume activities at Evaly.
“Customers have already started shopping on Evaly. I hope that none of Evaly’s customers will face any loss. We have already returned Tk 5 million from our profits to those who had money due with us. It will just take a little more time to refund everyone else.
“We will become stronger than before and return everyone’s money. You will see a major change within six months. And it will take us two years to return everyone’s money.”
Earlier, the director general of the consumer rights agency, AHM Shafiquzzaman, advised customers to take caution while shopping on e-commerce platforms.
Shafiquzzaman noted that out of Tk 5.35 billion stuck with e-commerce companies, Tk 4.07 billion has been refunded, with Tk 1.27 billion yet to be returned.
“The state minister of commerce wants this resolved. We don’t want to be in limbo either. That's why we had this meeting today.
“We will find a specific solution to this by the 30th of June. We believe in moving e-commerce forward. Therefore, we held today's meeting involving those who have spent 27 and 6 months in jail respectively.”
