Companies like Evaly, Alesha Mart, and E-Orange stand accused of defrauding customers of billions of taka, leaving thousands of affected customers without refunds or recourse. These once-prominent e-commerce platforms, which flourished during the Awami League government, have largely ceased operations, and their top executives are either untraceable or have fled.
The Central E-Commerce Cell reports that Evaly has refunded just Tk 15 crore to 12,940 customers as of November, while Alesha Mart has returned Tk 40 crore to 2,296 customers. These amounts are negligible compared to the estimated Tk 6,000 crore in customer transactions that remain unaccounted for.
The Ministry of Commerce has only been able to obtain limited financial data from 35 companies, leaving large sums of money untraced. Bangladesh Bank identified 56 accounts linked to Alesha Mart, showing deposits exceeding Tk 2,000 crore. However, Tk 1,999 crore has already been withdrawn, leaving a mere Tk 2.07 crore in the accounts. Similarly, Evaly processed more than Tk 4,000 crore through mobile banking, but accurate transaction details are unavailable.
Efforts to refund customers across the e-commerce sector have been insufficient. As of November, 15 companies refunded Tk 423.41 crore to 65,879 customers. Among them, Qcom refunded the highest amount, Tk 343.15 crore, to 44,018 customers. Other companies, like Boomboom and Anandabazar, refunded less than Tk 1 crore each. Refunds from Evaly and Alesha Mart remain disproportionately low, primarily coming from funds held in payment gateways rather than company resources.
Meanwhile, several officials from these scandal-hit companies remain at large. Some fled the country, while others, previously arrested, are out on bail. For example, E-Orange’s sponsor and former Banani Police Station inspector, Sohel Rana, reportedly escaped to India.
Evaly briefly resumed operations after its executives were released on bail, promising to refund customers by 2026. However, these pledges remain unfulfilled. Evaly's Managing Director, Mohammad Rassel, has become unreachable, with his phone switched off and no official updates provided.
Customer frustration continues to grow. A recent Facebook post promoting Evaly products drew sarcastic comments from affected customers. One wrote, "Now 2025, Mr. Rassel, any schedule for our previous orders/refunds?" Another commented, "Is this a new loophole for escaping?"
A Commerce Ministry official expressed concern over the lack of progress, noting that Evaly has failed to provide accurate data on customer dues or initiate meaningful refund efforts.
Attempts to reach Evaly’s MD for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone and WhatsApp remained inactive.
Translated by Jisan Al Jubair
Bd-pratidin English
