There is a standing complaint that stolen phones are being sold via online adverts. The finger is pointed mainly at classified marketplaces, which post adverts to attract potential buyers. Law enforcers have recovered stolen items, displayed on these online market places.
Bikroy.com is accused of selling stolen mobile phones. Recently, law enforcers recovered such a phone though Bikroy.com refutes the claim that the phone, which was sold from their platform, was stolen.
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) feels that a syndicate is behind the operation.
PBI assistant police super told Bangla Tribune, “based on specific information, we recovered a stolen phone set on March 27; it was posted on Bikroy.com. After recovering it, the set was handed back to the original owner.”
But no one could be arrested over the attempt to sell the stolen set, he added.
On March 12, Ishtiaq Emon, lost his phone from Sher e Bangla Nagar and filed a General Diary, GD. Based on the information provided on the GD, police began the search. Tracing the IMI number and identifying the location of the user, the set was found.
“The new buyer returned the phone to the police when told that it was stolen,” said the PBI police officer.
The new owner paid Tk12000 for the set though did not know of its dodgy antecedent.
Ishita Sharmin, Head of marketing for Bikroy.com, says: “usually, we do not get such complaints and the complaint about the phone in question did not come to us.”
However, she mentioned that such complaints were common in the past which prompted Bikroy.com to emphasise on the transparency of the posted adverts.
“We check all adverts and after being certain of its legitimacy, post them online.”
There are two types of market places, one is e-commerce based while the other is classified marketplace. At the latter, different items for sale can be posted directly and by paying a fee. Though a final approval is required from the authority.
A CID official says that at different times, complaints were lodged against online buying and selling sites. The official also said that majority of complaints were against currently inoperative platform, ekhanei.com.
Fahim Mashrur, founder and chief executive of Ajkerdeal.com told Bangla Tribune: “we are a marketplace; sellers give us the product and after assessing the items, we publish the details online.”
Stolen items are often sold through specially made Facebook pages, he added and lamented that after the ballyhoo over the selling of a stolen item dies out, the dubious online groups re-emerge.
Rajib Ahmed, former president of the e-commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-cab), told Bangla Tribune: “in e-commerce, there’s no chance for stolen items to be sold though we have come to know of such dealings via classified adverts.”
He underlined the necessity of marketplace policies to curb this vile culture.
Making the usage of national ID cards mandatory for all clients of online buying and selling sites can ease the problem, he added.