A case has been filed over allegations of fraud after ticket money was not refunded following the cancellation of a concert promoted in the name of Pakistani singer Atif Aslam.
The case is filed against five people, including the managing directors of event organiser Cholghuri Limited and Main Stage Inc.
On Monday, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Ahsan Habib Bhuiyan filed the complaint with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain.
Taking cognisance of the case, the court ordered the Detective Branch (DB) of police to submit an investigation report within 15 working days.
The accused named in the case are Kazi Rafsan, Breeti Sabrin Khan, Asif Iqbal Khan, managing director of Cholghuri Limited, and the company’s chairman and CEO Promi Islam, among others.
According to the complaint, the principal accused Asif Iqbal Khan and Breeti Sabrin Khan, in collusion with the other accused, launched extensive promotional campaigns on social media and began selling tickets without securing the required government permissions or ensuring adequate security arrangements for the concert.
The complaint states that on 16 November this year, an eye-catching advertisement was posted on a Facebook page operated by the first accused, claiming that renowned subcontinental singer Atif Aslam had agreed to perform live in Dhaka. Initially, the venue was not disclosed.
Later, the same page announced that the concert would take place at the International Trade Fair grounds in Purbachal New Town.
Following the promotional campaign, the news went viral. At that stage, the second accused allegedly intensified the promotion by posting in support of the purported concert from her Instagram account named “Marvel”, aiming to enhance the credibility of the event.
When the concert failed to take place on the announced dates, ticket holders demanded refunds. The accused reportedly returned money to some buyers online on several occasions.
However, after repeatedly changing dates, the accused eventually posted on Facebook on 12 December, stating that the government had not granted permission for the concert and that it would be held after the upcoming election.
The complainant then issued a legal notice, giving the accused 48 hours to refund the money and issue an apology. As no apology was made, the case was filed.
In the complaint, the plaintiff alleged that after cancelling the concert, the accused defrauded multiple ticket buyers, including an amount of Tk 86,632 from other witnesses. The accused later began delaying and avoiding repayment, which, the complainant said, amounted to planned fraud and misappropriation of funds.
