A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced Evaly chief executive officer Mohammad Rassel and chairperson Shamima Nasrin to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a fraud case over embezzling money from a customer.

Metropolitan magistrate Md Monirul Islam delivered the verdict in the afternoon, also fining the duo Tk 10,000 each. In default, they will serve an additional three months in jail.

According to the case statement, Abul Kalam Azad filed the case on December 7, 2023, accusing the couple of taking Tk 23 lakh from him in 2021 for 11 motorbikes but failing to deliver the products or refund the money.

Following the complaint, the court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation to probe the matter. On March 27 last year, PBI sub-inspector Basudev Sarkar submitted a charge sheet against Rassel and Shamima.

On December 9, the court framed charges and began the trial, recording testimony from three witnesses before pronouncing Thursday’s judgment.

This is not the first conviction against the Evaly authorities.

On April 13, they were sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 5,000 each in another fraud case.

On April 6, they had received a three-year sentence in a breach of trust case.

On January 29, 2024, the couple was sentenced to two years in prison in a separate case, while on January 2, 2024, a Chattogram court handed them one year in jail in another customer’s case.

With Thursday’s verdict, Rassel and Shamima now face a total of 12 years’ imprisonment in five different cases. Both are absconding.

The court also issued warrants for their arrests as they were tried in absentia.