Even as online shoppers continue to be cheated in an epidemic of e-commerce scams in the country, detectives placed the founder and CEO of Qcoom, another such platform, under arrest on charges of fraudulence and embezzlement.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Asheque Imam on Monday granted remand for two days when police Ripon Miah before the court seeking 10 days’ remand in the case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Ripon’s counsel filed a petition seeking bail for his client.
A team of the Detective Branch of police of Motijheel Zonal team arrested the Qcoom CEO from Dhanmondi on Sunday.
Additional Police Commissioner of DB KM Hafiz Akhter revealed this information at a press briefing at DMP Media Centre today.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Asheque Imam passed the order when police produced him before the court seeking remand for 10 days in the case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Ripon’s counsel filed a petition seeking bail for his client.
Detectives conducted the drive after a complaint was lodged against Qcoom.
“Qcoom is involved in selling its products online with many officers. They were involved in attracting people with many offers at low price in the name of ‘Bijoy hour’, Índependent Hour’, and ‘Big billion’ offer. Customers used to grab their offers as the company offered a motorbike worth Tk 1.67 lakh at Tk 1.20 lakh under some offer,”said KM Hafiz.
Qcoom used to get their payment through the payment gateway Foster, he said.
Ripon’s arrest comes at a time when the country’s e-commerce sector has been rattled by scams of different e-commerce platforms like Evaly, E-orange and Dhamaka.
On October 2, members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Saiful Islam, director of ringID, a social media platform, from Gulshan in the capital on charge of misappropriating huge money.
The arrest followed a case filed by an aggrieved person against 25 people, including 10 named and 15 unnamed ones, with Bhatara police on September 30.
The controversial social media platform allegedly embezzled over Tk 200 crore in just three months this year by alluring people in its investment (Ponzi) scheme promising online income.
Evaly
Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin were arrested after an aggrieved customer, Arif Baker, lodged a case with Gulshan police station accusing them and few other company executives of embezzlement and fraudulence.
Sub-inspector Ahidul Islam, the investigation officer of the case, said the case was registered over the allegation of embezzlement of money and fraudulence.
Besides, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), an arm of the Bangladesh Bank that specializes in financial crime investigations, directed all the commercial banks and financial institutions through a common letter on August 27 to freeze all the bank accounts operated by top executives of Evaly.
The Directorate of National Consumer Right Protection, a department under the Commerce Ministry, received allegations from consumers about “cheating” by Evaly.
Bangladesh Bank officials said one of the major allegations against Evaly is forcing its consumers to deposit their money in the e-wallet of the firm which was totally illegal.
E-orange
On September 2, a Dhaka court sent virtual outlet e-orange.shop owner Sonia Mehzabin, her husband Masukur Rahman and, Chief Operating Officer, Aman Ullah to jail in a fraud case filed over embezzlement of Tk 1,100 crore from consumers.
Earlier on August 23, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al Mamun Bhuiyan placed the accused on a 5-day remand in the fraud case.
On August 17, the court sent them to jail rejecting their bail prayers when they surrendered to Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abubakar Siddique’s court.
On August 16, an aggrieved customer of E-Orange Md, Taherul Islam, filed a fraud case with Gulshan police in presence of 37 other customers who testified against the accused.
Source: United News of Bangladesh