UK police hunt 2 Bangladeshis accused of raping girl
Collected Photo
Police are searching for two Bangladeshi nationals accused of luring a 13-year-old girl to a park in London and gang-raping her.
London Metropolitan Police confirmed the matter in a notice on Thursday, local time.
The voluntary organization Crimestoppers has announced a total reward of £ 10,000 for providing information regarding their location to help capture them.
The two individuals sought by the police are Shawkat Ahmed, 31, and Jahidul Hasan Jaygirdar, 34. Public assistance has been requested to identify their location by releasing their photos.
According to a report by the British media outlet The Sun, police began an investigation after receiving a complaint that a 13-year-old girl was raped in Bethnal Green, East London on 1 August 2024.
According to the victim’s description, two men lured her in the Whitechapel Road area and took her to Weavers Fields Park. It is alleged that she was raped there. Later, a pedestrian rescued her.
Following the incident, police conducted an investigation through various means, including examining surrounding CCTV footage and forensic testing. Investigators received some new information after making a public appeal for information regarding the suspects on 18 September.
The Met Police said Shawkat may be in the UK and has ties to the Tower Hamlets area. Jahidul also had ties to that area; however, police suspect he may have fled to Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Agamir Somoy learned that within one to two days of the police releasing the CCTV footage on September, the two left separately for Europe via France.
That information claimed that Jahidul is in hiding in a European country, while Shawkat came to Bangladesh via Italy.
However, no confirmed statement from the police could be obtained regarding the information.
Crimestoppers’ London Regional Manager Alexa Loukas said the girl was the victim of a “horrific and painful” attack. While identifying the two accused is a positive step, finding their location is extremely important.
She added that even the slightest information regarding their location can be reported to Crimestoppers. The informant’s identity will be kept confidential.
