Hakkatha Desk, New York: The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of Ruhel Choudhury, a 34-year-old US citizen of Bangladeshi descent, for his alleged role in the kidnappings, torture, and sexual assault of two Bangladeshi expatriates. The agency published a wanted poster for Choudhury on Mar 1, with the issue given widespread coverage by US media.Choudhury is sought by the police for his involvement in two separate kidnapping incidents on Mar 27 and May 11, 2023. Prior to this, six individuals connected to these crimes were arrested, all of whom are of Bangladeshi nationality. In one case, Abu Chowdhury, 34, from New York’s Jamaica neighborhood, and his wife Iffat Lubna, 24, were arrested and subsequently released on bail, although prosecutors are seeking to revoke it. In the other case, Sultana Razia, Syed Rubel Ahmed, 43, and Anju Khan, 28, were arrested. Razia and Ahmed were released on bail, but Khan remains in custody.

Choudhury’s involvement included supplying and driving the vehicles used in the kidnappings, facilitating the abductions, sexual abuse, and ransom demands in Queens, New York.

Despite posing as a middleman for selling used cars, the FBI said that his actual activities centred around kidnapping, mugging, and theft.

Born in Bangladesh on Feb 9, 1990, before moving to the US, Choudhury has connections to the Hollis, Queen’s Village, and Jamaica neighborhoods in Queens, New York. Case documents reveal that on Mar 27, the gang kidnapped a Bangladeshi expatriate, subjecting them to severe torture for 14 hours.

Choudhury, driving a Honda SUV, along with his accomplices, forced the victim into humiliating and violent situations, including being made to stand naked on the street and being drugged to lose consciousness. The victim eventually woke up in a hospital.

The May 11 incident involved luring another Bangladeshi expatriate to Woodside, Queens, where he was kidnapped, beaten, and taken to a hotel for further abuse, including rape by Abu Chowdhury.

Ransom demands were made to the victim’s father, who refused to pay, leading to the victim being left in an abandoned house, from where he eventually escaped and sought help.

Abu Chowdhury and Lubna were indicted in July, with the others presented to Brooklyn Federal Court on Jan 11. The authorities are actively seeking Ruhel Choudhury to bring him to justice and proceed with the indictments.