Online entity in Tk 15cr fraud case

A fraudulence case involving Tk 15 crore has been filed against four persons of a Rajbari business which had been sealed off and fined Tk 2 lakh earlier this month for selling substandard products.

Jabirul Islam, managing director of Jeka Bazar, is the prime accused in the case filed by one of its executive officers, Ishanur Rahman, with Rajbari Sadar Police Station on Monday, said Officer-in-Charge Md Shahdat Hossain.

Rahman has substantial investments in the entity, though the amount is unknown, he said.

"The complainant alleged that the accused went into hiding embezzling Tk 15 crore of customers. Police are trying to nab the accused," he added.

The complainant did not receive calls from this correspondent.

Earlier, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection had conducted a raid on Jeka Bazar's shops in Nannu Tower at Rajabari sadar upazila and placed a bar on their trade.

During a visit, this correspondent found the products to be garments, cosmetics, electronics and bottles labelled as spices, vitamins, stomach cleansers and items made of soyabean.

"They don't have proper papers…everything is substandard and a rip-off," Md Shoriful Islam, assistant director of the directorate's Rajbari unit, told The Daily Star.

Inquiring around, The Daily Star came to know that Jeka Bazar had been offering Tk 10 to people who watched videos and ads on its online platform for some time every day.

The catch was that a one-year "membership account" had to be availed first for Tk 1,300, against which Jeka Bazar provided a bag containing some of the products alongside Tk 300 in "shopping balance", usable only for purchasing their products.

This had lured, according to some, as many as 25,000 people with low incomes in Pabna, Rajbari and adjoining areas to avail "accounts" in the last couple of months.

Following the drive, Jeka Bazar officials went into hiding, leaving the account holders in limbo.

The Daily Star found one person who had around 100 such "accounts".

Md Abdullah of Nazirganj village in Pabna's Sujanagar upazila is employed for manual work by a private company for around Tk 15,000 a month.

He had bought accounts with Tk 1.25 lakh from his savings with hopes of racking up Tk 30,000 a month. In the first month, he did get paid Tk 27,000.

But the sudden shutdown has left him in disarray.

"I had saved this little amount from my poor income. Tempted by the lucrative offer I had invested all of my savings. Now I see no way of recovering my investment…all is totally lost," Abdullah said.

Another "account" holder, Md Maruf Hossain, a resident of the upazila's Kholilpur, said he was one of lucky ones whose losses were not that much.

"Many people invested huge amounts leasing out of their properties, even their homes," he said.

"Most of Jeka Bazar's local agents are now avoiding us while we are worried over getting back our investment," he said.