Remand, bail denied, Evaly CEO sent to jail

A Dhaka court yesterday sent Evaly Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Rassel to jail after rejecting both the remand and bail petitions in a case filed by one of the aggrieved customers of the e-commerce platform.

The court, however, allowed police to interrogate Rassel at the jail gate for a day within three working days.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasibul Haque passed the order after Abul Kalam Azad, a sub-inspector of Dhanmondi Police Station and also the investigation officer of the case, produced him before the court with a five-day remand prayer.

Rassel was shown arrested in the case filed on Wednesday by Muzahidur Rahman, who had purchased an air conditioner on Evaly for Tk 85,000 that he never received.

Meanwhile, the Evaly CEO was produced before the court on completion of his one-day remand in another case filed against him with Dhanmondi Police Station by Kamrul Islam Chakdar, a businessman who had supplied goods amounting to Tk 35.85 lakh to the platform on credit.

His dues were never cleared, which prompted him to file a case against Rassel, Shamima Nasrin, the e-commerce platform's chairperson, and 10 employees of Evaly.

Defence, however, submitted a petition seeking bail along with the cancellation of the remand prayer.

Upon hearing both sides, the magistrate rejected both the remand and bail prayers and allowed police to interrogate Rassel at the jail gate.

Police did not submit any remand prayer for Rassel's wife Shamima Nasrin, also the chairperson of Evaly.

EORANGE CUSTOMERS STAGE DEMONSTRATIONS

Several hundred aggrieved customers of Eorange, one of the rogue e-commerce platforms, yesterday staged a demonstration to press home their 10-point demand to the commerce ministry.

They started gathering in front of Jatiya Press Club around 11:00 am and later set off towards the secretariat to submit their demands, which include a refund for their unfulfilled orders; immediate extradition of Sohel Rana, a director of Eorange, from India; confiscation of his wealth; and exemplary punishment for those involved.

As they reached the Matsya Bhaban, police baton-charged them.

The protestors, who converged to Dhaka for the demonstration from all over the country, claimed that at least 10 of them were injured.

Moudud Hawlader, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station, said they dispersed the Eorange customers as they tried to block the busy road.

The OC said none were detained from the spot, but the protesters claimed that two of them were picked up by law enforcers.

Since Eorange is the sister concern of Orange Bangladesh, the latter has to take the responsibility for the financial loss of all the affected customers, the protestors said.

They said the money that is stuck in payment gateways should be returned to the customers.

The commerce ministry, which has given legitimacy to all e-commerce companies including Eorange, needs to quickly resolve the issue of customers' dues, the protestors said.

On August 17, on behalf of the aggrieved customers of Eorange, Taherul Islam filed a case against the owners and staff of the rogue e-commerce platform for reportedly embezzling about Tk 1,100 crore from them.

E-orange Managing Director Sonia Mehjabin, her husband Masukur Rahman, also the chief operating officer of Eorange, and some others are now behind bars.

Besides, India's Border Security Force detained Mehjabin's brother Rana, also a suspended investigation inspector of the Banani police station, from Changrabandha border area in Cooch Behar district.

Police are trying to extradite him to Bangladesh.