DHAKA, July 1 — Priest of a Hindu temple priest was allegedly abducted, held captive overnight, physically assaulted, and extorted for ransom in Bangladesh’s capital, raising fresh concerns over public safety and the protection of religious minorities amid a deteriorating law-and-order situation.
The victim, Subhash Deuri, was admitted to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Tuesday morning with serious injuries after friends found him lying unconscious on a roadside in the Narinda area of Old Dhaka. Family members and friends allege that unidentified assailants subjected him to prolonged physical and psychological torture, stripped him naked, robbed him of his belongings, and forced him to beg relatives and friends for money while threatening to kill him.
Police said an investigation has begun, although no formal case had been filed immediately after the incident. Authorities have not yet determined whether Deuri’s Hindu faith played any role in the alleged abduction.
Victim Found Seriously Injured After Overnight Captivity
According to family members, Deuri is a student at Dhaka Central Law College and has been serving for several months as an assistant priest at the central temple of Jagannath University, where he performs daily religious rituals and receives a monthly honorarium. His ancestral home is in Sreepur Upazila of Magura District, but he has been living in a rented apartment in Narinda with a roommate while pursuing his studies.
His roommate, Durjoy Saha, told bdnews24, a prominent Bangladeshi newsportal, that Deuri disappeared Monday night before making a desperate phone call requesting money.
“Subhash and I live in the same apartment. When I returned home around 9:30pm, I didn’t find him there. I assumed he had gone out for some work. Around 11:30pm, I received a call from his phone asking me to send him some money. I couldn’t because I didn’t have any,” Saha told journalists on June 30 while describing the events leading to his friend’s disappearance.
Saha said he and several friends later spent the night watching Brazil’s football match before returning home at around 5:30 a.m., when they discovered Deuri lying injured on Narinda Road in front of an Agrani Bank branch.
“He had severe injuries to his head, hands and legs. His mobile phone and wallet were missing. We immediately took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital,” Saha said.
Family Says Captors Demanded Ransom
According to Deuri’s sister, Jaya Deuri, the abductors repeatedly contacted family members while holding him captive.
She told The Voice that at approximately 1:00 a.m. Tuesday, an unidentified man answered her brother’s phone and demanded Tk 30,000 before abruptly disconnecting the call.
Later, the captors allegedly forced Deuri himself to plead with his relatives for money.
“Around 2:30am, my brother called me crying and begged me to send money. He said they would kill him if I didn’t. One of the abductors gave me a phone number, and after arranging the money, I transferred Tk 26,000. After that, we lost all contact with my brother,” Jaya Deuri told The Voice.
Family members allege that shortly after the transfer was completed, the assailants abandoned Deuri on a roadside in Old Dhaka before fleeing.
Allegations of Torture and Blackmail
After being rescued, Deuri reportedly managed to describe parts of his ordeal despite his critical condition.
According to roommate Durjoy Saha, Deuri said he had been held captive from around 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m., during which he was beaten, mentally abused, stripped naked, and filmed.
The attackers allegedly threatened to publish the recordings on social media unless additional money was paid, forcing him to contact family members and friends for financial assistance.
Friends also reported that both his mobile phone and wallet were missing when he was found.
Police Confirm Hospital Admission
Mohammad Faruk, chief of the police outpost at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, confirmed that the victim was admitted in critical condition.
According to doctors cited by Faruk, Deuri arrived at the emergency department at around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and remains under medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Mofizur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Wari Police Station, said officers had begun looking into the allegations after learning of the incident but were still gathering details.
Questions Over Motive
Investigators have not announced whether robbery, ransom, personal enmity, or religious identity motivated the attack.
The absence of an official conclusion has left multiple possibilities open. However, the victim’s dual role as both a Hindu priest and a law student has drawn attention from minority rights advocates, who say attacks involving members of religious minorities warrant careful and transparent investigation.
Kajal Debnath, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, told PTI that the organization was collecting information before reaching any conclusions.
“We have heard of the incident and are trying to get the details and ascertain if it was just a case of mugging,” Debnath told PTI on June 30 while responding to media inquiries about the case.
Growing Concerns Over Minority Safety
The incident comes amid continued debate over the security of Bangladesh’s religious minorities following the political transition of August 2024.
Although police have not linked the assault to religious motives, several violent incidents involving Hindu community members and religious figures have heightened anxiety among minority organizations.
In April 2026, Hindu temple caretaker Nayan Sadhu disappeared after reportedly leaving with two unidentified men. Three days later, his body was found hanging from a tree in a hilly area near Cox’s Bazar, prompting demands for a thorough investigation.
The same month, spiritual leader Shamim Reza Jahangir died after being attacked by a mob in Kushtia following renewed circulation of an old video that allegedly contained offensive remarks about Islam. Authorities opened an investigation into that killing after the incident drew widespread attention.
Rights observers say that, regardless of motive, each such case deepens insecurity among minority communities and underscores the importance of prompt, impartial investigations capable of identifying perpetrators and ensuring accountability.
With Subhash Deuri continuing to receive treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, investigators now face mounting pressure to determine who abducted and assaulted the young law student, establish whether the crime was purely financially motivated or involved other factors, and bring those responsible to justice.
