Dhaka, Apr 06 (V7N) – A Dhaka court has sentenced Mohammad Russell, Managing Director of controversial e-commerce platform Evaly, and his wife Shamima Nasrin, the company’s Chairman, to three years’ imprisonment each in a fraud case.

In addition to the jail term, the court has imposed a fine of Tk 5,000 on both. Failure to pay the fine will result in six months of additional imprisonment.

The verdict was delivered on Sunday by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Minhazur Rahman. The court also issued arrest and sentence warrants against the couple, as both are currently absconding.

The case was filed by a customer, Mujahid Hasan Fahim, who had ordered a Yamaha R15 motorcycle from Evaly on February 20, 2021, after being drawn in by their flashy advertisements. Fahim paid the full amount in advance, but Evaly failed to deliver the product within 45 days, as promised.

When Fahim approached Evaly's Dhanmondi office, the company handed him a Tk 5 lakh cheque, which the bank advised him not to deposit due to insufficient funds. Trusting the company’s assurances, Fahim withheld from depositing the cheque.

Despite repeated attempts and even after sending legal notices, Fahim received no refund or product. Finally, in January 2024, he filed a case against the Evaly top brass.

Plaintiff’s lawyer Sakibul Islam confirmed the verdict and stated that law enforcement agencies have been instructed to execute the arrest warrant. This ruling adds to the mounting legal troubles facing Evaly, which has been embroiled in multiple allegations of financial irregularities and customer deception since its meteoric rise and subsequent collapse.

The case highlights the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh’s e-commerce sector, where lax regulation has allowed several platforms to exploit customers with advance payment models that failed to deliver.

As of now, Russell and Shamima’s whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities are intensifying efforts to bring them to justice.

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