Photo : Collected
Former Inspector (Investigation) of Banani Thana, Sheikh Sohel Rana, a key figure associated with the much talked e-commerce company E-Orange, is currently untraceable. Despite the High Court's directive to bring him back to the country, there has been a lack of initiative on the part of the police to locate and repatriate him.
Following his escape to India, Sohel Rana managed to secure bail after being apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) in that country. Notably, there is an embezzlement complaint against the company, alleging misappropriation of approximately 1100 crore from customers.
DMP Joint Commissioner Biplab Kumar Sarkar told The Daily Messenger that the case involving Sheikh Sohel Rana has been thoroughly investigated, and a charge sheet has been filed. The trial is currently underway in court. Despite his status as a police officer, Sohel Rana faces accusations, and the appropriate legal procedures are in place to bring back any accused individual from another country. The police were actively involved in the process while he was in India. However, he managed to evade capture and is currently hiding in another location outside India.
Commissioner Sarkar mentioned that a red alert has been issued against Sohel Rana, emphasising that, as a criminal, he must face the consequences of the law.
Reliable sources said that Sonia Mahjabin, the leader of an e-commerce company named E-Orange, has been accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud customers of an estimated Tk 1100 crore by enticing them with low-priced products.
Subsequent preliminary investigations conducted by various investigative agencies unveiled the involvement of Sohail Rana in the operations of E-Orange, brother of Sonia Mahzabin, the owner of E-Orange. Following this revelation, Sohail Rana seems to have gone into hiding to evade legal consequences.
According to sources, the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court handed down a sentence against Sohail Rana on February 23 of the previous year for illegal entry, leading to his confinement in Kolkata's Presidency Jail. Subsequently, due to a deterioration in his physical condition while in jail, Sohail applied for bail. The Indian court granted him bail under the condition that he would have to attend the Mekhliganj police station in Cooch Behar on a weekly basis and refrain from leaving the police station area. Despite these conditions, he managed to escape from India. Some close relatives of Sohail Rana, speaking anonymously, assert that he is currently in Europe.
On September 2, 2021, the first case against E-Orange was filed by 17 individuals, accusing the company of defrauding them of Tk 88 lakh 94 thousand. The case was initiated by a customer named Russell. Subsequently, on September 7, Istiaq Hossain Titu filed the second case on behalf of 10 people, alleging fraud amounting to Tk 76 lakh 41 thousand. In both cases, Sonia Mehzabeen, the owner of E-Orange, her husband Masukur Rahman, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Aman Ullah, and Police Inspector Sohail Rana were named as accused.
Following these cases, Sohail Rana was arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) on the Indo-Nepal border on September 4.
According to a High Court source, on January 29, 2023, Justices Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and Khizir Hayat issued an order directing the government to take necessary measures to bring Sheikh Sohail Rana back to the country. The court also mandated the submission of a report regarding VAT collection by the E-Orange e-commerce platform.
In addition, the Home Secretary received a directive to submit a report by February 19 of the current year detailing the actions taken by the government to repatriate Sheikh Sohail Rana, who is detained in India, in accordance with the High Court's orders. However, as of the specified date, the Home Ministry has not been able to comply to the High Court's order.
According to sources, a compliance report from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was submitted to the High Court bench. The report states that Sheikh Sohail Rana was arrested by Indian law enforcement agencies and subsequently sentenced to three years in prison by a court in India. Sohail Rana was held in Presidency Correctional Home, Alipore, India. Following his incarceration, he was released on bail and subsequently went into hiding.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has initiated 27 cases against E-Orange, with the majority, 25 cases, registered at Gulshan Police Station. Among these cases, Sohail Rana is implicated in two. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police is actively investigating case number 15 out of the total 27, which was filed by customers. The accused in this case include Sohail Rana, Masukur Rahman, Sonia Mehzabin, Amanullah Chowdhury, and Nazneen Nahar Bithi. Currently, all the accused, except for Sohail Rana, are incarcerated in various jails across the country.
CID Sub-Inspector Shamim, the investigating officer of the case, said that the charge sheet against Sheikh Sohail Rana was submitted on September 12, 2022, in the case related to E-Orange. The charge sheet alleges that E-Orange has embezzled a total of Tk 7 crore 83 lakh from 35 victims. The case is presently awaiting proceedings in court, highlighting the ongoing legal actions against Sohail Rana and the specific charges brought against him and the E-Orange company.
Messenger/Fameema
