The FBI has announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a 34-year-old US citizen of Bangladeshi origin, believed to be involved in a series of kidnappings by targeting Bangladeshi expatriates in New York.
Ruhel Choudhury, wanted for his suspected role in two abductions occurring on 27 March, 2023, and 11 May, 2023, is being sought by the FBI, reports the Daily News.
Described as a professional wheelman, Ruhel Choudhury, originally from Bangladesh, maintains ties to the Hollis, Queens Village, and Jamaica areas of Queens.
He stands at 5 feet 7 inches, weighs 150 pounds, and possesses brown eyes, as outlined in the FBI's wanted poster released on 1 March.
Ruhel Choudhury is the final suspect among seven wanted individuals connected to the abduction of Bangladeshi expatriates from the streets of Queens last year.
Six other alleged conspirators, including Abu Chowdhury, 34, and his wife, Iffat Lubna, 24, were apprehended last year and in January, subsequently released on bail.
Abu Chowdhury, with assistance from Ruhel Choudhury, forcibly took the victim into a car near 181st St. near Hillside Ave. in Jamaica on 27 March. They then subjected him to severe beatings and compelled him to strip naked in the street, as stated by federal prosecutors.
Ruhel Choudhury, along with suspects Syed Rubel Ahmed, Shahed Alom, Anzu Khan, and Sultana Razia, reportedly participated in assaulting and threatening the victim.
In the subsequent abduction on 11 May, Lubna lured the victim to a restaurant near 72nd St. and Broadway in Woodside, Queens. Abu Chowdhury then ambushed the victim, forcing him into a minivan driven by Ruhel Choudhury. At a hotel, the victim was subjected to further violence, including sodomy allegedly perpetrated by Abu Chowdhury.
During the ordeal, Abu Chowdhury demanded a $20,000 ransom from the victim's father, inflicting additional violence to ensure compliance. Despite the demands, the father refused to pay.
Following three days of torture, the victim was left bound and blindfolded in an abandoned house before managing to escape and seek help from nearby residents, eventually contacting law enforcement.
Abu Chowdhury and Iffat Lubna were indicted for the first alleged kidnapping in July. A superseding indictment against them and the other defendants was unsealed in January.