A Dhaka court has admitted fraud charges against Evaly Managing Director Mohammad Rassel and his wife and chairman of the online marketplace, Shamima Nasrin, but acquitted singer Tahsan Khan and actors Rafiath Rashid Mithila and Sabnam Faria.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibul Haque also retained the names of Evaly Vice-President Abdullah Al Mamun alias Akash and Category Head Mohammaf Abu Taher aka Saddam in the charge sheet.
Besides Tahsan, Mithila and Faria, Evaly Chief Marketing Officer SM Arif Reza Hossain and Senior Executive Md Abu Taif Kayes have been cleared of the charges, said police Sub-Inspector Isharat Ali.
All nine accused in the case filed by an Evaly customer appeared in court for the hearing, reports bdnews24.com.
The investigator, Kalabagan Police Station SI Rajib Hasan submitted the charge-sheet to the court, naming four suspects and requesting to acquit the five others.
The plaintiff, Saad Sam Rahman, alleged that the accused colluded to embezzle Tk 318,000 from him. He ordered products after being influenced by Tahsan, Mithila and Faria’s promotional talks, but the goods were not delivered, according to Saad.
Tahsan signed a contract with Evaly as a brand ambassador in March 2021 but later said he had cancelled the agreement over consumer dissatisfaction.
Mithila said she had also cut off ties as a goodwill ambassador with the company, hit by delivery delays and controversy on charges of embezzlement.
Faria, who was Evaly’s public relations officer, quit as well. Jesmin Sultana, the lawyer for Faria, said the actor cannot be accused in the case because the plaintiff mentioned May 2 as the day of the crime while Faria joined Evaly on Jun 1.
Evaly became popular among a section of customers with lucrative offers on home appliances, TV, refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, motorcycles and other products.
Many of them took up to 50 per cent discounts as an opportunity to do business by reselling the products. They invested in reselling products purchased from Evaly by borrowing hundreds of thousands of takas or selling land and golden ornaments.
Later, thousands of complaints were filed against Evaly for its failure to deliver products or refund the customers months after taking advance payments for delivery within 45 days.
Rassel and Shamima are behind bars.