Evaly CEO on fresh remand, chairman lands in jail

A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel on one-day fresh remand in a case filed with Dhanmondi police station.

Besides, the court sent Rassel's wife Shamima Nasrin, the chairman of the e-commerce company, to jail.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police is about to file a money laundering case against Evaly and its owner.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Organised Crime Unit, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit, and the Financial Crime Unit of the CID sat along with their top boss Additional IGP Md Mahbubur Rahman and they finally decided to sue Evaly over money laundering, said a meeting source.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gulshan police produced Rassel and Shamima before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibul Haque's court, after the three days' remand over an embezzlement and fraudulence case filed by a customer.

Nazmul Huda, sub-inspector of Dhanmondi police station and also the investigating officer of another embezzlement case filed by a merchant, appealed to show Rassel and Shamima arrested in that case and sought seven days' remand.

Placing Rassel on the one-day remand, the judge asked the investigating officer to follow the High Court guidelines while quizzing in remand.

During the three-day remand, Rassel told the investigators that Evaly's liabilities to customers was Tk700 crore and that to merchants was Tk250 crore.

The investigating officials, however, said Rassel was not responding much to questions relating to misappropriation or laundering of money received in advances from customers. The police are also seeking information about the assets of Rassel, his wife Shamima Nasrin and other family members at home and abroad.

Money-laundering

The source who joined the meeting of the the Organised Crime Unit, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit, and the Financial Crime Unit of the CID sat along with their top boss Additional IGP Md Mahbubur Rahman, told TBS on Tuesday night that they are close to the end of the money laundering investigation of Evaly.

"The CID may file a money laundering case against Evaly and we have found some evidence of laundering," he added.

Earlier, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Rassel and Shamima on 16 September in a case filed with Gulshan police station over allegations of embezzling customers' money.

A team from the elite force detained the couple during a raid at their Mohammadpur residence in the capital.

Later, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqul Islam placed the couple on three days remand on 18 September.

On 14 September, the commerce ministry decided to request the home ministry to take legal actions against Evaly for violations of laws and deceiving customers.

"Evaly violated many provisions of the Penal Code 1860, Digital Security Act and Consumer Rights Protection Act," said Hafizur Rahman, additional secretary of the commerce ministry, in a press briefing on the day.

Earlier, in two different submissions to the commerce ministry, Evaly informed that they owe Tk311 crore to customers and Tk206 crore to the merchants.

Evaly got the money in advance payments by luring people with heavy discounts on products on its site and promising delivery in 7-45 days. Buyers, however, are yet to receive the items they ordered.

The refund cheques given to customers bounced because of an insufficient fund in Evaly's bank account.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) wrote to several government organisations seeking related documents on Evaly.