Govt to assist Alesha Mart clear customers’ dues

The commerce ministry says it will extend all sorts of assistance to beleaguered e-commerce company Alesha Mart to continue business and pay off the customers’ dues.

 “Alesha Mart has suspended its official operations on security grounds. It has written to the law enforcers and the commerce ministry seeking security. The ministry will issue necessary directives after the weekend so that Alesha Mart can continue its business,” commerce ministry’s Additional Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman told The Business Post.

 Companies that followed Evaly’s footsteps and floated unrealistic offers to woo customers have accrued massive loans. Bank accounts of some of these companies have been frozen. Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit’s Nov 8 report showed that Alesha Mart’s frozen account had only Tk 2.07 crore, although its customers had deposited Tk 2,001.28 crore. The company had withdrawn Tk 1,999.21 crore.

On Thursday, Alesha Mart Chairman Manjurul Alam Sikder claimed that they owed 7,000 customers around Tk 200 crore. He said they were initially focusing on refunding 3,900 small orders amounting to less than Tk 1,00,000 each.

“We have refunded Tk 90 crore in the last several weeks,” he said. Shafiquzzaman said Alesha Group has assets and the company is planning to take bank loans to clear dues. “We will cooperate with Alesha Mart,” he said, noting that it would take some time to pay off dues.

Alesha Mart started its online trade on Jan 1 this year and has run five campaigns, attracting at least 45,000 orders. The company delivered products from its first four campaigns but failed to deliver motorcycles ordered by 7,300 clients in the fifth phase.

People have been gathering in front of its office, hoping to get refunds. On Thursday, Alesha Mart announced the suspension of official activities for an indefinite period citing ‘security

reasons’.

“We are being forced to take such a decision as some people misbehaved with our employees at our office on Wednesday,” the company wrote on its verified Facebook page on Thursday.

“Note that the enforcers were not our customers, they did not have a payment schedule and did not even receive an SMS. We will resume our activities only after getting adequate security measures. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience (sic),” the notice said.