Shawdesh Desk:

E-commerce platform Dhamakashopping.com owes more than Tk 3.8 billion to around 300,600 customers and suppliers.

Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director (legal and media wing) of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), informed this while briefing reporters on Wednesday.

RAB held the press briefing hours after a team of the elite force arrested three officials of Dhamaka from the city’s Tejgaon area.

The arrestees are Sirajul Islam Rana, 34, chief operating officer, Imtiaz Hasan Sabuj, 31, category head (mobile fashion and lifestyle) and Ibrahim Swapan, 33, category head (electronics) of the e-commerce platform.

Al Moin said, “Dhamakashopping.com has so far transacted about Tk 7.5 billion but the firm’s bank account now less than Tk 100,000. The platform owes more than Tk 3.8 billion to its customers and suppliers.”

The platform had about 300,000 customers and 600 suppliers including renowned business farms, he said.

“The online platform has defaulted in office rent. The employees have not been paid since June,” he said.

The e-commerce firm stopped its operations in July after withdrawing all the money from the company’s bank accounts, he added.

“The only aim of the platform’s existence was to embezzle money from consumers and suppliers,” said the RAB officer.

He said the company lured customers by offering discounts ranging from 20 per cent to 50 per cent on electronics, furniture and other items.

The firm did not have any investment and bank accounts and it ran its scams through the accounts of Invariant Telecom Bangladesh Ltd, Microtrade Food and Beverage Ltd and Microtrade Isix Ltd.

Tongi’s businessman Md Shameem Khan filed a case against 11 owners and executives of the Dhamakashopping.com with Tongi West Police Station on September 23 for embezzling Tk 1.15 million from him. The three executives — Rana, Sabuj and Swapan — were arrested in connection with the case.

On September 9, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a case against Dhamakashopping managing director Jasim Uddin Chishti and five executives with Banani Police Station on charges of laundering Tk 1.16 billion.

The other accused are Syeda Roksana Khanam, Tasfir Ridon Chishti, Masfiq Ridon Chishti, Nazim Uddin and Safwan Ahmed.