Dhamaka an unauthorised, unlicensed e-commerce platform: RAB

The e-commerce platform Dhamaka Shopping does not have any approval, a licence and an account to run the business properly.

Sirajul Islam Rana, the Chief Operating Officer of the e-commerce platform, and his two associates confessed it before investigators during a primary interrogation, said Rapid Action Battalion.

“We came to know that the MD of the company and his family members siphoned off the majority portion of the money to the USA,” said RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin at a press conference on Wednesday. He referred the information to an unnamed intelligence source.

RAB arrested Sirajul Islam Rana, chief operating officer of e-commerce platform Dhamaka Shopping and two others from Dhaka last night in connection with a fraudulent charge.

A team of the elite force raided different houses including one at Tejgaon vicinity of Dhaka and arrested them last night.

The e-commerce platform used to run its business using an account of a Dhaka-based software company Invariant Telecom. It transacted around Tk 750 crore so far via the account and its liability is now around 400 crore, Moin told the journalists.

The company followed rules of ‘zero inventory model and holding money process plan’ and it has no investment in the market. The e-commerce platform suspended its business from July after transferring all money to another account, Moin said, quoting the arrestees.

Office rents, warehouse rents, and salaries of the company’s officials and staff have remained unpaid since June, the RAB official said.

They began the business in 2020 and all the arrestees were involved in the business since its inception.

Earlier on September 23, one Shamim Khan, a garment worker, lodged a case with Tongi West Police Station against SMD Jasimuddin Chisti, the managing director of the e-commerce platform and a few others for their indulgence in fraudulent activities.

The other accused in the case are M Ali alias Majtaba Ali, chairman of the Dhamaka Shopping, Devkar De Shubho, chief business officer, Safoan Ahmed, head of accounts, Amirul Hossain, deputy manager, Imtiaz Hasan, head of systems, Ibrahim Swapan, vice president, Nirad Baran Roy, deputy managing director and two staff Nazim Uddin and Asif Chsti, of the e-commerce platform, respectively.