Evaly shuts office, orders employees to work from home

PBC News:  Controversial e-commerce platform Evaly has announced shutdown of its Dhanmondi office following the arrest of Managing Director Mohammad Rassel.

The staff have been directed to work from home until further notice, Evaly said on its Facebook page on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin following a raid on their house in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur on Thursday.

Rassel is also the CEO of the e-commerce company, while his wife Shamima Nasrin holds the position of chairman.

Since its inception in 2018, Evaly has faced a debt of Tk 5.43 billion to its suppliers and customers.

Evaly’s system, which thrived on stupendous cashback offers, came under scrutiny after the Ministry of Commerce and Bangladesh Bank opened a probe into their workings and found a significant amount of embezzlement.

Evaly appeared to be lying low after the government announced new steps to regulate digital marketplaces, leaving scores of disgruntled customers in the lurch.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is also investigating claims from the commerce ministry that Evaly misappropriated Tk 3.38 billion from customers and merchants, and began investigations on Jul 8.

The court, on Jul 15, ordered a travel ban on Rassel and his wife, following a plea from the anti-graft watchdog on Jul 9.