Evaly founder Mohammad Rassel and the company’s chairperson, Shamima Nasrin, have been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment in yet another fraud case. With this verdict, the couple’s total jail term across five different cases now stands at 12 years.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday (September 18) by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Monirul Islam. In addition to the sentence, both were fined Tk 10,000 each, with an additional three months of simple imprisonment in default. As the couple remains absconding, the court has also issued both conviction and arrest warrants against them.
Launched in 2018, Evaly quickly gained attention by advertising products—ranging from cars, motorcycles, and furniture to electronics—at half the regular price. Thousands of customers paid in advance with the expectation of reselling for profit. However, when months passed without delivery or refunds, Evaly collapsed under debts of Tk 543 crore owed to customers and suppliers.
Amid widespread protests, hundreds of fraud and embezzlement cases were filed against Rassel and Shamima. In the most recent case, a customer named Abul Kalam Azad ordered 11 motorcycles worth Tk 2.3 million, paying Tk 500,000 in advance, but never received the products. Following a court directive, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) probed the matter and confirmed the allegations.
Earlier this year, between January and April, the couple had already been sentenced in four other cases, ranging from one to three years each. With Thursday’s ruling, their total prison term now amounts to 12 years.