A Dhaka court has sentenced Evaly’s Managing Director Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin, chairperson of the company, to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a case filed over embezzlement and fraud.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Monirul Islam delivered the verdict on Thursday.
The court also fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each, in default, they will have to serve three more months of simple imprisonment, plaintiff’s lawyer HM Ruhul Amin Molla has confirmed the matter.
As both convicts are currently absconding, an arrest warrant has been issued against them in addition to the conviction warrant.
This latest verdict brings the total jail time for the couple to 12 years in five separate cases.
Launched in December 2018, Evaly quickly rose to prominence in Bangladesh’s e-commerce scene with flashy advertisements offering products like cars, motorcycles, furniture, smart TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines at up to 50% discounts.
Thousands were lured by the prospect of reselling these goods at higher prices, placing advance orders worth millions. However, many customers waited months without receiving their products, nor were their payments refunded. Eventually, Evaly was found to be in debt of Tk 543 crore to customers and suppliers.
Public outrage erupted in mid-2021, triggering a wave of lawsuits against Evaly and other similar platforms for fraud and embezzlement. Hundreds of cases were filed and this case being one of them.
The case was filed by an Evaly’s customer named Md Abul Kalam Azad on 7 December, 2023. According to the case, Azad had ordered 11 motorcycles worth Tk 23 lakh, paying Tk 5 lakh in advance, lured by Evaly’s promotions. Despite promises of delivery within 7 to 30 days, he never received the goods.
Following the complaint, the court instructed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to conduct a probe. On 27 March, 2024, PBI SI Basudev Sarkar submitted a report formally accusing Rassel and Shamima. Charges were framed on 9 December, and after hearing testimony from three witnesses, the court delivered the verdict on Thursday.
On 13 April, the couple was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in another fraud case. Just a week earlier, on 6 April, they received another three-year sentence in a case involving criminal breach of trust.
Earlier in the year, on 29 January, a separate court handed them two years in prison in a different fraud case. And on 2 January, they were each sentenced to one year in jail in a case filed by a customer from Chattogram.
With the most recent ruling, the duo now faces a combined 12 years of imprisonment across five convictions, with more cases reportedly still under trial.
