Controversial ecommerce platform Evaly has closed its head office despite taking payments for products from numerous customers.
Evaly insiders said they closed the service due to failure to deliver products to the customers within the promised time.
Against this backdrop, the court issued a travel ban on Evaly Chairman Shamima Nasrin and Managing Director Mohammad Rassel asking them not to leave the country until the completion of the investigation run by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Evaly, owned by the couple, is still continuing the gambling breaching the directives of the government and the court order.
There are allegations that the ecommerce platform has been running different campaigns, including Cyclone (which is later renamed as T10), to take advance from customers with unnatural pricing and it holds the public money for months delaying the deliveries of the products, sources said.
Industry insiders said the company was doing business using public money through running different campaigns to take money from customers who interested to take the new type of services like ecommerce.
The unhealthy practice of the ecommerce platform came to light after Bangladesh Bank launched an investigation over financial anomalies of the company on request of Ministry of Commerce recently.
The central bank investigation has found that Evaly liabilities to customers and merchants have risen to Tk 4.03 billion while the company’s asset is only Tk 0.65 billion.
Meanwhile, Special Judge Court of Dhaka issued a ban on Evaly Chairman Shamima Nasrin and Managing Director Mohammad Rassel from travelling abroad, as investigation into the allegation against them over embezzling Tk 3.38 billion is on.
Judge KM Emrul Kayesh on Thursday passed the order after Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury, an assistant director of Anti-Corruption Commission and also the head of the enquiry team, submitted an application seeking a travel ban on them.
The ACC launched an inquiry against Evaly following a commerce ministry request for legal action over alleged embezzlement of Tk 3.38 billion which Evaly took in advance from customers and owes to merchants.
The unrest came two days later since Ecommerce Association of Bangladesh (E-Cab) issued a ‘show cause’ notice to Evaly on Wednesday for tarnishing value of the sector violating consumer rights.
“We have been repeatedly receiving complaints against the platform for the last two years. The issue was brought to light by the media in the last six months. However, the ecommerce company continues its gambling using the interest of customers who want more spending less,” an executive member of E-Cab told media requesting not to be named.
Industry insiders said that the Evaly has been running business ‘using the advance from customers’ as working capital which is illegal in the country.
Despite repeated attempts, Evaly Chairman Nasrin and Managing Director Rassel could not be reached over phone.
