Mohammad Rassel, founder of the e-commerce platform Evaly, and his wife Shamima Nasreen, its chairman, have been acquitted of charges of fraud and breach of trust after they settled with the plaintiff. On Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sheikh Sadi announced the verdict.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Abu Taher Roni, stated that the court accepted the testimony of two of the case’s witnesses. On 24th April, following the arguments, a verdict date of 23rd May was set.
“Fearing punishment, the defendants offered a compromise, which the plaintiff accepted. They were summoned to court again, and on Thursday, the defendants returned the money to the plaintiff before the court. As a result, the court acquitted them.”
The complaint states that on 29th November 2021, plaintiff Ali Reza Faruk paid Evaly Taka 2,96,348 to purchase a motorbike. The business sent Faruk a payment when they were unable to deliver the motorbike on schedule.
When Faruk presented the cheque to the bank on 16th January 2022, he claimed that it was turned down.
When he told Evaly about this, they promised to reimburse him for the money, but they never followed through. Faruk filed a complaint in court using sections 406 and 420 of the Penal Code after mailing a legal notice.
When Evaly was first launched in 2018, it became well-known for its attractive deals on TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, motorbikes, and other household equipment.
Evaly offered substantial discounts of up to 50 per cent, which numerous consumers took advantage of by reselling the goods. By taking out loans totaling hundreds of thousands of Taka or selling gold ornaments and land, they made investments in the resale of Evaly’s merchandise.
Thousands of customers, however, claimed that they were not receiving their products or refunds despite paying in advance, which brought the company into the public eye.
