Bangladesh Student and Assistant Priest Kidnapped for Ransom, Police Investigating
A 25-year-old Hindu student who also works as an assistant priest at a temple in Dhaka was allegedly kidnapped and tortured for ransom earlier this week, according to Bangladeshi media reports. The victim, Subhash Deuri, is currently receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Deuri is a first-year law student at Central Law College in Old Dhaka and occasionally serves as an assistant priest at the central temple of Jagannath University. He was reportedly abducted on Monday evening after arriving in the Swamibagh area by rickshaw. He managed to escape on Tuesday morning and sought help from his roommate, who took him to the hospital.
His sister, Jaya, told local media that around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, she received a call from Deuri's phone. An unknown man demanded 30,000 Bangladeshi Taka (approximately Rs 22,000) for his release. After transferring 26,000 Taka to a specified account, Deuri was dumped on a street in Old Dhaka.
Relatives reported that Deuri suffered fractures to his leg and hip, and doctors have said surgery is required. Police Officer-in-Charge Mofizur Rahman of Wari Police Station said Deuri told them he had gone to a temple in Swamibagh on Monday night, where several people allegedly abducted him and confined him in a house. He escaped by jumping from part of the building, sustaining injuries in the process. Police are investigating the incident.
Officials from the temple committee clarified that Deuri is not a permanent priest but occasionally performs rituals in the absence of the main priest. They stated the incident has no connection with the temple. Kajal Debnath, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, said the organization is trying to determine if the case was simply a mugging.
It is not yet clear whether Deuri was targeted because of his religion. The victim is originally from Magura district in Khulna, about 170 kilometres west of Dhaka, and lives in a rented apartment with a friend.
