Evaly, an e-commerce operator, accused of fraudulence is now at the center of controversies for the last few weeks following an inspection report of Bangladesh Bank in which Evaly’s total liability was found Tk 407.18 crore.
The office of Evaly has been closed since Wednesday despite the relaxed lockdown. Customers were seen crowding in front of the office. They complained that they are not getting any response from the hotline number as well.
The notice in front of the office reads that home office has been going on due to the lockdown announced by the government.
The Commerce Ministry recently asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to file a case against Evaly for embezzlement of Tk 338 crore. The amount was taken as advance from customers.
The Commerce Ministry also asked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and Bangladesh Competition Commission to take legal action against the e-commerce platform.
The e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-Cab) is also considering revoking its membership. A show-cause letter was sent in this regard to Evaly’s Managing Director Mohammad Rassel on Wednesday, asking why his company’s membership should not be revoked following the recent complaints against it.
Mohammad Sahab Uddin, Vice-President of e-CAB told Bangladesh Post that they have sent a show-cause letter to Evaly and some other multi-level marketing (MLM) companies asking why their membership should not be revoked. Further action will be taken, if they fail to provide a satisfactory reason.
“This action will help people to identify the companies that are conducting fraudulent activities and build trust about the e-commerce industry,” he said.
Many merchants have severed ties with Evaly saying that they are not getting the price of the product from Evaly. These companies have been informing their customers for the last two days through text messages that they will no longer deliver products through the vouchers of Evaly.
Regarding the current condition of Evaly, Fahim Mashroor, former president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services told Bangladesh Post that tough stance should have been taken against Evaly earlier.
“The money of a large number of customer and merchants are stuck in Evaly. As a result, many customers are now afraid to order even in reputed e-commerce companies. The entire industry is suffering due to a few fraudulent companies.”
Along with introducing policies, he urged to take strict legal actions against these companies.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) told Bangladesh Post that the actions taken against Evaly’s irregularities should be implemented properly to ensure justice.
“Accountability must be ensured if Evaly and the other companies are found guilty of the allegations that have been brought against them, otherwise this sector will not survive,” he added.
Evaly Managing Director Mohammad Rassel, when contacted by the media, said that they will open their office following the strict lockdown after Eid.
