Law-&-Order
Viral e-scams: Qcoom the latest to bite the dust
Even as online shoppers continue to be cheated in an epidemic of e-commerce scams in the country, detectives placed the founder and CEO of Qcoom, another such platform, under arrest on charges of fraudulence and embezzlement.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Asheque Imam on Monday granted remand for two days when police Ripon Miah before the court seeking 10 days' remand in the case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Ripon’s counsel filed a petition seeking bail for his client.
A team of the Detective Branch of police of Motijheel Zonal team arrested the Qcoom CEO from Dhanmondi on Sunday.
Additional Police Commissioner of DB KM Hafiz Akhter revealed this information at a press briefing at DMP Media Centre today.
Read: Ponzi fraudulence: ringID director held in city
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Asheque Imam passed the order when police produced him before the court seeking remand for 10 days in the case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Ripon’s counsel filed a petition seeking bail for his client.
Detectives conducted the drive after a complaint was lodged against Qcoom.
“Qcoom is involved in selling its products online with many officers. They were involved in attracting people with many offers at low price in the name of ‘Bijoy hour’, Índependent Hour’, and ‘Big billion’ offer. Customers used to grab their offers as the company offered a motorbike worth Tk 1.67 lakh at Tk 1.20 lakh under some offer,”said KM Hafiz.
Qcoom used to get their payment through the payment gateway Foster, he said.
Ripon's arrest comes at a time when the country’s e-commerce sector has been rattled by scams of different e-commerce platforms like Evaly, E-orange and Dhamaka.
On October 2, members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Saiful Islam, director of ringID, a social media platform, from Gulshan in the capital on charge of misappropriating huge money.
The arrest followed a case filed by an aggrieved person against 25 people, including 10 named and 15 unnamed ones, with Bhatara police on September 30.
The controversial social media platform allegedly embezzled over Tk 200 crore in just three months this year by alluring people in its investment (Ponzi) scheme promising online income.
Evaly
Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin were arrested after an aggrieved customer, Arif Baker, lodged a case with Gulshan police station accusing them and few other company executives of embezzlement and fraudulence.
Sub-inspector Ahidul Islam, the investigation officer of the case, said the case was registered over the allegation of embezzlement of money and fraudulence.
Besides, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), an arm of the Bangladesh Bank that specializes in financial crime investigations, directed all the commercial banks and financial institutions through a common letter on August 27 to freeze all the bank accounts operated by top executives of Evaly.
The Directorate of National Consumer Right Protection, a department under the Commerce Ministry, received allegations from consumers about “cheating” by Evaly.
Bangladesh Bank officials said one of the major allegations against Evaly is forcing its consumers to deposit their money in the e-wallet of the firm which was totally illegal.
E-orange
On September 2, a Dhaka court sent virtual outlet e-orange.shop owner Sonia Mehzabin, her husband Masukur Rahman and, Chief Operating Officer, Aman Ullah to jail in a fraud case filed over embezzlement of Tk 1,100 crore from consumers.
Earlier on August 23, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al Mamun Bhuiyan placed the accused on a 5-day remand in the fraud case.
On August 17, the court sent them to jail rejecting their bail prayers when they surrendered to Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abubakar Siddique's court.
Read: Evaly's liabilities over Tk 1,000 crore
On August 16, an aggrieved customer of E-Orange Md, Taherul Islam, filed a fraud case with Gulshan police in presence of 37 other customers who testified against the accused.
HC asks ACC to capture real money launderers instead of businessmen
The High Court on Sunday told the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to focus on capturing the 'real' big-scale money launderers instead of businessmen.
The court said those who have built ‘Begum Para’ outside the country and siphon out money to countries abroad are the real money launderers and ACC should take actions against them.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and KM Zahid Sarwar said this to ACC lawyer during a hearing on the anticipatory bail petition of Dinajpur businessman and district Jubo League leader Khalilullah Azad in case of money laundering.
The court granted the accused 8-day bail on condition of submitting his passport and bar on leaving the country.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua presented the petitioner’s side during the hearing while lawyer Md Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for ACC. Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Amit Talukder stood for the state.
DAG Amit Talukder said a petition against the bail order will be filed with the appellate division.Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said the Crime investigation Department (CID) of police filed a case against Khalilullah for laundering Tk 35 crore though ACC was supposed to file the case.
Moreover, according to the case complaint Khalilullah deposited more than Tk 14 crore in a Sonali Bank branch in Dinajpur and later credited the money in different times which does not actually exist, he said.
Khalilullah Azad was granted bail in 22 other cases.
On February 1, his family said in a press briefing that 16 cases had been filed against the businessman within four months when he was already behind the bars.
Banani double rape: 5 accused sent to jail, verdict on October 12
A Dhaka court has set October 12 to deliver its verdict in the case of rape of two private university students at a hotel in Dhaka’s posh Banani area four years ago on completion of prosecution and defense arguments.
Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7 Judge Begum Kamrunnahar also cancelled the bail of five accused and directed to send them to jail after hearing both sides, said the plaintiff’s lawyer Faruque Ahmed.
On June 7, 2017, investigation officer of the case Inspector Ismot Ara submitted a charge sheet to the court against the five accused.
On June 19, the same year the tribunal accepted the charge sheet.
Rape charges was pressed against accused Safat Ahmed and Nayeem Ashraf while charges for assisting in rape was pressed against Safat’s friend Sadman Sakif, Shafat's driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali.
On May 6, 2017, one of the two abused girls filed the case with Banani Police Station against five persons including Shafat and Shadman Sakif.
According to the case statement, Safat and Nayeem raped the plaintiff and her friend on March 28 at The Raintree Dhaka in the capital's Banani area while the three others assisted them.
The victims were acquainted with Safat through Sadman two weeks before the incident and they were tricked in attending a grand program at the hotel on that day, said the statement.
Mohib Ullah murder: 2 placed on 3-day remand
A Cox’s Bazar court on Sunday placed two people on a three-day remand in a case over the killing Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah.
Cox’s Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate Tamanna Farah passed the order in the morning.
Read: 4 held over Mohib Ullah murder; 7-day remand sought for 2
Those remanded are—Mohamamd Selim alias Lamba Selim and Shawkat Ullah.
Earlier on Saturday, police produced them before the judge with a 7-day remand prayer, said court inspector Chandan Kumar Chakrawarty.
Four suspects have so far been arrested in connection with Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah’s murder at Lambashia camp-1 in Ukhiya.
Shawkat was arrested on Saturday afternoon from a Kutupalong Rohingya camp, said officer-in-charge of Ukhiya police station Sanjur Morshed.
Read:Mohib's murder: FIR lodged, probe in full swing, say police
Armed Police Battalion (APBn) personnel arrested Ziaur and Salam on Friday from Kutupalong camps and Selim on Friday noon from Kutupalong camp-6.
SP Naimul Haque, commander of the 14th APBn, said the three arrestees were later handed over to Ukhiya police station.
On Thursday night, police registered a murder case over Mohib Ullah’s murder following a complaint from Mohib Ullah’s brother Habib Ullah, said officer-in-charge Sanjur Morshed.
Read: Momen vows to bring Mohib's killers to justice
Unknown assailants gunned down Mohib on Wednesday night.
He was buried in Lambashia camp-1 in Ukhiya upazila on Thursday afternoon after his namaz-e-janaza, which was attended by a large number of Rohingya refugees from camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas.
Formerly a teacher in Myanmar, the slain activist was popularly known as Master Mohib Ullah among the Rohingya refugees. He was the head of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) at Kutupalong camp.
Ctg court bomb blast: ‘Boma’ Mizan to die, another gets life term
A tribunal in Chattogram on Sunday sentenced a top leader of the banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death and another to life term imprisonment in a case over a bomb attack on Chattogram court premises in 2005.
The condemned convict is Mizan alias Zahidul Islam alias ‘Boma’ Mizan while the lifer is Zabed Iqbal alias Mohamamd, commander of JMB’s Chattogram division.
Read: Suspected Ansarullah militants held in Mymensingh
Judge Abdul Halim of Chattogram Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal handed down the verdict.
Zabed is now behind bars while ‘Boma’ Mizan was tried in absentia.
On February, 13, 2014, some militants snatched Mizan while he was being taken to Mymensingh from Gazipur’s Kashimpur jail. Since then, he has been on the run.
According to the prosecution, Rajib Barua, a police constable, and Shahabuddin, a justice seeker, were killed as militants hurled a bomb on a police check-post on the court premises on November 29, 2005.
Ten people, including cops and pedestrians, were also injured in the attack.
Read: N’ganj raid: ‘Militant’ held with bomb, bomb-making materials
Later in the day, a case was filed with Kotwali Police Station.
On May 18, 2006, then DB inspector Hla Ching Pru submitted a chargesheet against five people, including JMB chief Abdur Rahman, its second-in-command Siddiqur Rahman alias Bangla bhai, its military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, ‘Boma’ Mizan and Zabed in the case.
On July 16, 2006, the court framed charges against them.
JMB leaders Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai and Sunny were dropped from the case as they were hanged in another case.
Read: HC releases full text of verdict upholding death penalty of 10 militants
Later in 2018, the case was shifted to the Chattogram Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal.
After examining the records and witnesses, the tribunal handed down the verdict.
Ponzi fraudulence: ringID director held in city
As financial scams keep unfolding in the country, members of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Saiful Islam, director of ringID, a social media platform, from Gulshan in the capital on Friday on charge of misappropriating huge money.
The arrest followed a case filed by an aggrieved person against 25 people, including 10 named and 15 unnamed ones, with Bhatara police on September 30.
CID’s Cyber Police Centre started investigation into it.
During primary interrogation, Saiful admitted that his organization, the ringID, did not get any approval from the authorities concerned to collect deposits from users.
Read: E-commerce firms like Evaly, E-orange to face action: DMP
Though the ringID started its journey as a social media platform, it later started collecting deposits from people advertising various value-added services, including foreign investment, community jobs and other services in the social media platform.
The controversial social media platform allegedly embezzled over Tk 200 crore in just three months this year by alluring people in its investment (Ponzi) scheme promising online income.
Of the money, it received Tk23.94 crore in May, Tk109.13 crore in June and Tk79.38 crore in July from community job sector, according to a CID press release.
The CID has already requested the Bangladesh Bank to freeze all the bank accounts of the ringID so that it cannot launder the money, which was deposited by people.
Meanwhile, the CID got information that a number of cases were filed with different police stations against the ringID across the country.
CID is expected to interrogate Saiful bringing him under remand for gleaning information about the other people involved in it and how and where the money they keep.
Saiful was arrested at a time when the country’s e-commerce sector has been rattled by scams of different e-commerce platforms like E-valy, eorange and Dhamaka.
Evaly’s fraudulence
Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima Nasrin were arrested after an aggrieved customer, Arif Baker, lodged a case with Gulshan police station accusing them and few other company executives of embezzlement and fraudulence.
Sub-inspector Ahidul Islam, the investigation officer of the case, said the case was registered over the allegation of embezzlement of money and fraudulence.
Besides, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), an arm of the Bangladesh Bank that specializes in financial crime investigations, directed all the commercial banks and financial institutions through a common letter on August 27 to freeze all the bank accounts operated by top executives of Evaly.
The Directorate of National Consumer Right Protection, a department under the Commerce Ministry, received allegations from consumers about “cheating” by Evaly.
Bangladesh Bank officials said one of the major allegations against Evaly is forcing its consumers to deposit their money in the e-wallet of the firm which was totally illegal.
Read: Evaly's liabilities over Tk 1,000 crore
E-orange
On September 2, a Dhaka court sent virtual outlet e-orange.shop owner Sonia Mehzabin, her husband Masukur Rahman and, Chief Operating Officer, Aman Ullah to jail in a fraud case filed over embezzlement of Tk 1,100 crore from consumers.
Earlier on August 23, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al Mamun Bhuiyan placed the accused on a 5-day remand in the fraud case.
On August 17, the court sent them to jail rejecting their bail prayers when they surrendered to Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abubakar Siddique's court.
On August 16, an aggrieved customer of E-Orange Md, Taherul Islam, filed a fraud case with Gulshan police in presence of 37 other customers who testified against the accused.
3 girlfriends go missing from Pallabi with cash, gold
Three 12th-grade girls left their homes in the capital's Pallabi Thursday taking cash and gold, and have gone missing.
The missing students belong to different institutions and are good friends.
One of their guardians said each of the three girls left home at around the same time yesterday, and their phones were switched off. Her daughter took Tk6 lakh with her, she said, when she left the house her two friends Tk75,000 and gold ornaments.
The same guardian filed a complaint at Pallabi Police Station Friday accusing three persons – Tariqul, Rakibul and Zinia. It is alleged that they lured the students with promises of sending them abroad.
Inspector (Investigation) of Pallabi Police Station Abu Sayed Al Mamun said there is an investigation going on, and interrogating a person of interest in the case.
HC wants to know of steps against teachers in Rabindra University incident
The High Court on Thursday asked the Vice-Chancellor and the registrar of Rabindra University to inform it about steps taken against the teachers who were involved in forcefully trimming the hair of 14 students as punishment.
The court gave the respondents a month.
Bench of Justice Md Mojibur Rahman Mia and Md Kamrul Hossain Molla passed the order with a rule issued during a hearing on a writ petition filed in this regard.
In the rule the court questioned why giving unlawful punishment of trimming hair before staff, students and inciting to suicide will not be considered illegal.
The court also questioned why legal actions will not be taken against Chairman of Cultural Heritage and Bangladesh Studies Department of RU, Farhana Yeasmin Baten, assistant professor Rajib Adhikari and Jannatul Ferdous Moon, as well as why direction to compensate the humiliated students with Tk 20 lakh each should not be given.
Read: Haircut humiliation: Rabindra University students continue protests
The rule also questioned why a directive to introduce a code of ethics for teacher, students would not be given to prevent such oppressive incidents at educational institutes.
Education secretary, Secretary of Home Ministry, RU VC, Registrar , Farhana Yeasmin Baten, professor Rajib Adhikari and Jannatul Ferdous Moon, Sirajganj Superintendent of police and Sadar police station’s Officer-in-Charge were made respondents to the rule.
Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab presented the petitioner’s side during the hearing while Deputy Attorney General Nowroj Md Rasel Chowdhury stood for the state.
On September 29, Supreme court lawyer Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab and Mohammad Kausar filed the writ petition at the court.
“The punishment was not only illegal, it was humiliating to the students so much that one of them attempted suicide hence we filled the writ petition,” said barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab.
Read: Humiliation of students: Rabindra University teacher quit internal posts
On September 29, amid student protests, teacher Farhana Yeasmin Baten quit the three positions of assistant proctor, head of Cultural Heritage and Bangladesh Studies Department and syndicate member.
Earlier, the university authorities formed a five-member committee to probe the incident.
On September 26, while entering the examination halls to sit for their final exams, Professor Farzana Yasmin instructed an office assistant to trim the hair of 14 first year students, and he did it accordingly.
Unable to bear the humiliation, Nazmul Hasan Tuhin, 25, a student of the department and a resident of Magura district, consumed sleeping pills on Monday in an effort to take his own life.
He was undergoing treatment at Enayetpur Khaza Yunus Ali Medical College and Hospital.
However, Farhana denied the allegation and claimed it all is propaganda against her as she did not defer the exam as per the request of a few students.
2 get life term for killing auto-rickshaw driver in Lakshmipur
A Lakshmipur court on Wednesday sentenced two people to life imprisonment in a case over killing an auto-rickshaw driver in 2013.
The lifers are Mohan, son of Moin Uddin of Birahimpur village in Lakshmipur Sadar, and Tareq, son of Abdullah of Rashidpur village. Mohan was tried in absentia.
Read:4 get life term for killing Ruet driver
District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Rahibul Islam handed down the verdict.
The court also fined them Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more rigorous imprisonment, said Public Prosecutor (PP) of Lakshmipur Judge Court Jasim Uddin.
According to the case, the convicts killed CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Mohin at Bijoynagar village in Hamchhadi Union of Lakshmiipur Sadar on July 27 in 2013.
Police recovered the body from roadside.
Read: It’s settled: Life term means 30 yrs imprisonment
On following day, a case was filed at Lakshmipur Sadar Police Station in this regard.
Police investigated the case and submitted a chargesheet against Mohan and Tareq on January 13, 2014.
Cricketer Nasir, Tamima’s marriage illegal: PBI
The marriage between Bangladesh national team cricketer Nasir Hossain and Tamima Sultana is illegal as she is still wife of businessman Rakib Hasan, said a report of Police Bureau of Investigation(PBI) on Thursday.
PBI investigation officer Mizanur Rahman submitted the report before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohamamd Jashim.
Read: PBI asked to probe case against cricketer Nasir, his wife
Later the court asked cricketer Nasir , Tamima and Tamima’s mother Sumi Akhter to appear before it on October 31 in a case filed over Tamima’s illegal marriage.
Tamima allegedly got married to cricketer Nasir without divorcing her husband Rakib Hasan.
Advocate Ishrat Zahan, a counsel of the plaintiff, said a petition was filed seeking warrants for the arrest of the three accused.
According to the PBI report, Tamima did not divorce her first husband Rakib and Rakib did not get any divorce notice from her. Rather, Tamima made a fake divorce notice. So, Tamima is still the wife of Rakib, said the report.
As per the law, marrying another person without getting divorced with her husband is a punishable offence and for this reason the marriage of Tamima and Nasir is illegal, it said.
Read: All-rounder Nasir eyes a national team comeback
Besides, the divorce notice which was sent by post to Rakib is not legal, said PBI report.
Earlier on February 24, a Dhaka court directed PBI to investigate the case.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Md Jashim passed the order after taking the case filed by Rakib into cognizance.
PBI was asked to submit its investigation report by March 30.
Read: Will marriage and divorce face 'Nasir Law' for digital registration?
According to the case statement, Tamima got married to Rakib Hasan on February 26, 2011 and they have an eight year old daughter.
Tamima, a cabin crew of Saudia Airlines, had been staying in Saudi Arabia due to Covid-19 situation since March 10, 2020.
During this time, she contacted her family through mobile phone and social media.
Tamima got married with the cricketer on February 24 while photographs of their marriage went viral on social media which drew the attention of Rakib Hasan.