Arrest warrants issued against five top Foodpanda officials

A Dhaka court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants against five top officials of Foodpanda Bangladesh in two cases filed over allegations of fraud, embezzlement and forgery.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order after holding a hearing, complainant’s lawyer Kazi Mofizul Haque said. 

The accused are – Foodpanda Bangladesh co-founder and Managing Director Syeda Ambareen Reza, 40; co-founder and Director Zubayer Siddiqui, 46; Delivery Director Md Tabrez Khan, 40; Head of Category Dilara Faruk, 45; and Senior Manager Mohammad Sajedul Haque, 42.

Mofizul Haque said Gulshan police submitted an investigation report to the court in connection with the case, stating that the allegations brought against the accused had prima facie been substantiated. 

After accepting the report on Wednesday, the court issued arrest warrants against them, he added.

According to the case documents, Shihab Mahmud Bashir, proprietor of an organisation named ‘Protein and Perishable’ (PNP), filed the cases with the court on 3 July last year against the individuals, alleging that they had embezzled around Tk3.80 crore through forgery.

However, following this, Delivery Hero Stores, a sister concern of Foodpanda Bangladesh, issued a statement saying that it would contest the allegations against its employees through the relevant processes and that they had not engaged in any conduct amounting to a criminal offence.

In the statement, the company said that it had already obtained bail for all the employees from the High Court, noting that the cases were initiated in connection with an ongoing commercial dispute concerning dishonoured cheques issued by Shihab Mahmud Bashir, with payment still outstanding to Delivery Hero Stores (Bangladesh).