The government will return Tk 214 crore deposited by the consumers as payment to e-commerce companies but did not get delivery of the ordered goods yet, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said today.

The money will be returned in the next three months, he said.

The ICT ministry is developing an automation software to pay back the money to the affected consumers, Munshi said.

The minister spoke at a press conference at his secretariat office in Dhaka after an inter-ministerial meeting on e-commerce business.

On July 1, the central bank launched the escrow service payment gateway, under which a seller receives funds only when the buyer receives and accepts the products and/or services.

The banking regulator introduced the system so that the customers do not get cheated by the fraud e-commerce companies.

So far, some Tk 214 crore has been deposited in the escrow payment gateway for non-delivery of goods despite making advance payments.

So, the central bank will return the amount to the consumers, the minister also said.