The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has offered a reward of USD 20,000 for tracking down a Bangladeshi man accused of kidnapping, torture, sexual assault, and making ransom demands in New York.

The man is identified as Ruhel Choudhury, 34.

On the website, the FBI said that they are offering a reward of up to USD 20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Ruhel.

They have also published a poster in this regard.

In the poster, the FBI said that Ruhel is wanted for his alleged involvement in two kidnappings that occurred on March 27, 2023, and May 11, 2023, in Queens, New York.

Ruhel and others allegedly abducted the victims off the street and then robbed, tortured, and drugged them. One victim was held for ransom and sexually assaulted.

Ruhel allegedly provided and drove the vehicles used to confine and transport the victims to various locations in Queens during the kidnappings. He also allegedly assaulted and threatened the victims.

He was indicted in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, Brooklyn, New York, and a federal warrant was issued for his arrest on January 9, 2024, after he was charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of kidnapping conspiracy.

Ruhel, alias Rumel Choudhury, has ties to the Hollis, Queens Village, and Jamaica areas of Queens, New York, the FBI said in the post, adding that he may transport and sell used cars.

On March 1, the New York Daily News reported that Ruhel is the last of seven suspects wanted for the abductions that saw two men snatched off the streets in Queens last year.

Six other conspirators, including Abu Chowdhury, 34, and his wife, Iffat Lubna, 24, were arrested last year and in January, according to the FBI.

Abu Chowdhury forced the victim into a Honda SUV supplied by Ruhel, who deals in used cars, and beat the man as Ruhel manned the wheel, said the feds.

The victim was at one point forced to strip and stand naked in the street as Abu Chowdhury recorded video on his cellphone, federal prosecutors say.

Ruhel, along with suspects Syed Rubel Ahmed, Shahed Alom, Anzu Khan and Sultana Razia, joined in beating and threatening the victim throughout the night, prosecutors say.

The kidnappers later served the victim water dosed with sedatives, rendering him unconscious until he woke up in a hospital the following day, prosecutors allege.

Lubna lured the second victim to a restaurant near 72nd St. and Broadway in Woodside, Queens on May 11, say the feds.

There, Lubna's husband ambushed the man and forced him into a minivan, which was supplied by and driven by Ruhel, federal investigators say.

Ruhel drove the victim to a hotel while his accomplices thrashed the victim. Once at the hotel, Abu Chowdhury sodomized the man, prosecutors claim.

At some point during the kidnapping, Abu Chowdhury called the victim's father demanding USD 20,000, say the feds. During the phone call, investigator allege, Abu Chowdhury severely beat the victim to ensure his screams could be heard through the telephone.

The father refused to pay his son's ransom, say prosecutors.

The kidnappers forced the victim to swallow pills that left him drowsy before leaving him bound and blindfolded in an abandoned house after suffering three days of torture, prosecutors say.

The man managed to chew through his bonds and break a window. He then pleaded with nearby residents to call 911.



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