Top celebrities dropped from Evaly case

Police have submitted the charge-sheet in the fraudulence case against e-commerce platform Evaly, accusing the company's top officials, but dropping the names of top celebrities involved with it.

A deceived customer filed the case with Dhanmondi Police Station on 4 December last year, accusing six top Evaly officials and celebrity actors Tahsan Khan, Rafiath Rashid Mithila, and Sabnam Faria.

On 10 December, Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sajjadur Rahman told the media, "Tahsan, Mithila and Sabnam Faria might be arrested anytime for their involvement with Evaly."

But, Dhanmondi police dropped the names of the actors and two Evaly officials from the charge-sheet, finding no basis for the accusations brought against them.

Asked why he said the top celebrities might be arrested, Sajjadur Rahman told The Business Standard, "If you need the answer you may come to my office, and I will give you the answer face to face."

In the charge-sheet, police pressed charges against Evaly's Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Rassel, Chairman Shamima Nasrin, Vice-President Abdullah Al Mamun, and Category Head Mohammad Abu Taher.

Md Rajib Hassan, a Dhanmondi Police Station sub-inspector and  investigation officer for the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on 27 February. The charge-sheet will be placed before the court on 27 March for the next course of action.

The names of Evaly's Chief Marketing Officer SM Arif Reza Hussain, and Executive Operation Officer Abu Kayes, were also dropped from the charge-sheet.

Tahsan was the goodwill ambassador for Evaly, Mithila, brand ambassador, and Sabnam Faria was chief public relations officer. All of them were granted bail from the High Court and CMM Court on different dates.

Among the accused in the charge-sheet, Rassel and his wife Shamima were shown arrested in the case and they are in jail now. Mamun and Saddam were shown fugitives in the charge-sheet.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Rassel and Shamima on 16 September from the city.

On 4 December last year, Evaly customer Saad Sam Rahman filed the case. According to the complaint, Sam ordered a motorcycle worth Tk 318,000 but he neither got the product nor a refund from the company in time. From his standpoint, he was deceived by the celebrities.

The plaintiff of the case, Saad Sam Rahman told TBS, "Everyone knows how the celebrities promoted controversial Evaly offers and thousands of people were deceived only because of their promotional role. People believed in them. Now, police have dropped their names from the charge-sheet. This is absurd."

The plaintiff also said he will take further steps after consulting his lawyer.  

Actor Shabnam Faria told TBS, "The law will take its own course. I have no further comment on the issue."

She did not respond to the query about whether she has any liability to the customers or not.

Copyright lawyer Barrister Tanjib Ul Alam told TBS, "It is reasonable to exclude them from the charge-sheet as per the law of the country. However, if someone feels that he has been deceived because of their participation in the campaign, the moral question against them remains."