3 top Dhamaka officials arrested on fraud charges

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested the chief operating officer and two other officials of e-commerce platform Dhamaka Shopping have been arrested in Dhaka on charges of fraud and embezzlement.

The detainees were Dhamaka Chief Operating Officer Sirajul Islam Rana, Category Head (mobile fashion & lifestyle) Imtiaz Hasan Shobuj and Category Head (electronics) Ibrahim Shwapon.

They have been working for the e-commerce since 2020, the year when the organisation adopted its aggressive strategy.

Members of RAB nabbed COO Sirajul and Imtiaz earlier today during a drive in the capitals' Tejgaon area, while Ibrahim Shobuj was arrested from Chattogram.

Earlier, a customer filed the case against 11 officials – including the chairman, managing director and chief operating officer - of the e-commerce platform with Gazipur's Tongi West Police Station on 23 September.

According to the Financial Crime Unit of the CID's Organised Crime Division, most of the money was smuggled into the United States by the MD of Dhamaka Shopping and his family members. However, no one has agreed to give a clear statement as to why the CID is not arresting the rest of the accused who are still in the country.

According to the case statement, Dhamaka Shopping collected Tk803.51 crore from around five lakh customers by making various lucrative offers. In the beginning, Dhamaka Shopping delivered products to some customers, but they stopped delivering goods to anyone and embezzled the money. The amount of money and assets smuggled may increase further if the deposit and withdrawal slip of the bank accounts of the accused persons and institutions, and information of assets outside the country, are found.

Since 30 June, CID has been investigating money laundering allegations against Dhamaka Shopping.

The accused in the case are SMD Jasim Uddin Chisti, managing director of Dhamaka Shopping and Invariant Telecom, Saida Rokshana Khanam, director of Invariant Telecom, their son Tashrif Ridwan Chisti, chairman of Invariant Technologies, Mashfique Ridwan Chishti, director Invariant Technologies, Safwan Ahmed, director of Dhamaka Shopping and Invariant Telecom, Nazim Uddin Asif,  managing director of Invariant Technologies.

Invariant Telecom Bangladesh Limited, Micro Trade, Invariant Technologies Limited, and Micro Trade Food and Beverage Limited, owned by the Chisti family, have also been accused in the case.