'Stripped him, forced him to ... ': Temple priest 'abducted, assaulted' in Bangladesh

A Hindu law student who also works as a temple priest was allegedly abducted, held captive and assaulted by unidentified men in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, according to local media reports. His captors allegedly subjected him to physical and mental torture, stripped him, and forced him to call his family and friends to arrange ransom payments.The victim, identified as 25-year-old Subhash Deuri, a law student at Jagannath University, was allegedly targeted late on Monday night by a group of unidentified men who demanded money. It was not immediately clear whether Deuri was targeted because of his religious identity.Deuri was later found unconscious on a street in the Old Dhaka area in the early hours of Tuesday by his friends, who rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for treatment.Mohammad Faruk, chief of the police outpost at DMCH, said Deuri was admitted to the hospital's emergency department in critical condition at around 7 am local time and remains under treatment. No police complaint had been lodged as of Tuesday.According to reports, Deuri, a resident of Magura district in Khulna division, around 170 km west of Dhaka, lives in a rented apartment in the capital with a friend.His roommate, Durjoy Saha said that Deuri had left their apartment at around 11:30 pm on Monday. "I received a call from his phone asking me to send him some money. I couldn't because I didn't have any," Saha said, PTI reported citing local media.The alleged abductors also contacted Deuri's family members and demanded ransom.His sister, Jaya, told Bdnews24 that she received a call from Deuri's phone around 1 am on Tuesday, during which an unidentified man demanded 30,000 Bangladeshi Taka. According to the report, the abductors provided a bank account number for the transfer, and Deuri was later abandoned on a street in Old Dhaka after 26,000 Bangladeshi Taka was transferred.Saha said that after being rescued, Deuri told him that he had been subjected to physical and mental torture by his captors, who allegedly stripped him and forced him to seek money from his family members."We found his mobile phone and wallet missing," one of Deuri's friends, who took him to the hospital, said. Authorities are yet to determine the motive behind the alleged abduction and assault.Catch the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.