25-Year-Old Hindu Priest 'Kidnapped', 'Tortured' For Ransom In Bangladesh

A Hindu student, who also works as an assistant priest at a temple, was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and forced to pay ransom after being picked up from Dhaka's Wari area in Bangladesh. The victim, 25-year-old Subhash Deuri, is currently undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said police.

Deuri -- a first-year student at Central Law College in Old Dhaka, who also occasionally serves as an assistant priest at the central temple of Jagannath University -- was targeted by unidentified persons late on Monday, according to reports by Bangladesh's Daily Star and Bdnews24 media portal.

It was not immediately clear if Deuri was targeted because of his faith.

What Family Said

According to his relatives, Deuri was abducted around 8:00 pm after he arrived in the Swamibagh area by rickshaw. He managed to escape on Tuesday morning and later sought help from his roommate, who took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

His sister, Jaya, told Bdnews24 that around 1 am on Tuesday, she received a call from his phone number. An unknown man demanded 30,000 Bangladeshi Taka.

One of the abductors gave her a phone number to transfer money, and he was dumped on the street in the Old Dhaka area after 26,000 Bangladeshi Taka was transferred to the account linked to that number.

The victim's relative, Dipu Barman, told Daily Star that Deuri suffered fractures to his leg and hip, and doctors have said he will require surgery.

What Police Said

Mofizur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Wari Police Station, told the Daily Star that Deuri told police that he had gone to a temple in Swamibagh on Monday night, where several people allegedly abducted him and confined him in a house.

"He later escaped by jumping from a part of the building in the early hours of the morning. He sustained injuries while jumping," the officer said.

He added that police are investigating the incident.

'Not A Permanent Priest'

Meanwhile, Anik Kumar Das, member secretary of Jagannath University's central temple committee, clarified that Deuri is not a permanent temple priest.

"He is not our permanent priest. Our priest is Saikat Pathak. However, Subhash occasionally performs religious rituals in his absence. This incident has no connection with our temple. We have already stated on our temple's Facebook page clarifying the matter," he told The Daily Star.

Kajal Debnath, the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, told PTI, "We have heard of the incident and are trying to get the details and ascertain if it was just a case of mugging."

Deuri is from the Magura district in Khulna, around 170 kilometres west of Dhaka, and lives in a rented apartment with a friend in the capital city, local media reported.