Online Desk: A Dhaka court on Thursday framed charges against controversial e-commerce platform Evaly’s chairman Shamima Nasrin and its managing director and CEO Mohammad Russell in a case filed on charge of embezzling customers’ money with the Gulshan Police Station in the capital. Through the charge framing, the formal trial of the case began. Thursday was scheduled for the hearing of the complaint in the court of Judge AM Zulfiqar Hayat of Dhaka Cyber ​​Tribunal. On this day, the accused Russell was produced before the court. Advocate Ahsan Habib stood on behalf of Russell and seek his bail. On the other hand, Shamima did not appear before the court. The court framed charges against the two. As Shamima didn’t appear, the court issued an arrest warrant against her. At the same time, April 29 has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

October 19, 2022 was the day fixed for receiving the charge sheet in the case. On that day, Shamima applied for time through the lawyer without appearing in court. The court rejected the application and issued an arrest warrant against her. Before that, on September 30, 2021, a customer named Alamgir Hossain filed a case against Russell and Shamima of Evely at Badda Police Station under the Digital Security Act (DSA) on charges of embezzlement through digital media. According to the complaint, the plaintiff came to know about Evaly on various social media including Facebook in early 2020. There, discounts were offered on various daily necessities including electronic products. In most cases, advertisements were given to sell products at half the market price. Later he opened two accounts with two mobile numbers successively through Evaly app and ordered various products worth Tk 5 lakh with his ID.

He opened another ID in the name of a friend and ordered various products worth Tk 23 lakh. He ordered a total of Tk 28 lakhs products with two IDs and made payment through bKash/Nagad and various bank accounts. The products he ordered were supposed to be delivered within the stipulated 45 working days. However, even after seven months, he did not receive the product. In this regard, he contacted the Evaly authorities several times, but they delayed even with assurances.

The complaint also states that the accused have embezzled money from numerous common people across the country by deceiving them through digital means of giving them products at low prices. After the investigation, on September 16, 2022, CID sub-inspector Pradeep Kumar Das filed a charge sheet against Russell and Shamima in court.