e-orange Scam: Banani cop held in India for illegal entry
India's Border Security Force (BSF)yesterday detained Banani Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Sheikh Sohel Rana, who is reportedly involved with e-commerce platform 'e-orange', from Changrabandha border area in Cooch Behar district.
Lt Col Faizur Rahman, Border Guard Bangladesh director (operations), told The Daily Star he heard Sohel has been detained by the BSF at the Indian border, even though the BSF didn't yet make any official communication in this regard.
They may soon communicate with the Police Headquarters (PHQ) about the police officer's arrest, he said.
Contacted, Md Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general (media) of the PHQ, told The Daily Star last evening he has heard about the arrest from some unofficial sources.
With a photo of the inspector surrounded by BSF officers, an Indian media platform -- Uttar Banga Sambad -- reports that the BSF on Friday detained a Bangladeshi named Sohel Rana from the Changrabandha border in India's Cooch Behar district on charge of entering India illegally.
It added that the arrestee works at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Passports, multiple mobile phones and ATM cards were seized from his possession.
Nur-e-Azam Mia, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station, said Sohel Rana left office on Thursday night and did not come to the station in the last two days.
He learnt from the media that Sohel had been detained by the BSF.
Police officers working in the Gulshan Division confirmed that the man arrested by the BSF is indeed Sohel Rana.
He is allegedly involved with e-orange, which made headlines for reportedly embezzling crores of taka by not delivering customers' products. His sister and brother-in-law used to run the company.
On August 16, customers filed a case against owners and staffers of e-orange for embezzling around Tk 1,100 crore by not delivering products.
Md Abu Taher, a resident of Dhaka's Azampur, filed the case on behalf of 37 customers with Gulshan police accusing Sohel Rana's sister Sonia Mehjabin, her husband Masukur Rahman, Chief Operating Officer Amanullah Chowdhury, Bithi Akter, Kausar and all other owners of e-orange.
Sonia, Masukur, Amanullah and former COO Nazmul Alam Russel are currently in jail.
Since the filing of the case, Sohel had been denying allegations of his involvement with e-orange.
However, the name of his name appeared as the director in the TIN certificate taken to open the company called Orange Bangladesh, which is located in the same area as e-orange.
There are allegations against him regarding withdrawing Tk 2.5 crore from the company at different times.
Aminul Islam, inspector (investigation) of Gulshan Police Station, said when they asked Sonia about it, she told the investigators that Sohel withdrew the money on her request, adding that e-orange's ownership was recently transferred to Bithi Akter.
Earlier, VAT intelligence filed another case against the company on charge of tax evasion.