£10,000 Reward Offered to Find Two Bangladeshi Suspects Over East London Rape Allegation

A £10,000 reward has been offered to find two men wanted in connection with a sexual assault in east London in 2024. Metropolitan Police detectives say intelligence suggests the accused have already fled to Bangladesh and Europe.

The two men being sought are Jahidul Hasan Jaigirdar, 34, and Shawkat Ahmed, 31. Both are said to have long-standing links to the Tower Hamlets area.

They are alleged to have been involved in the rape of a 13-year-old girl in the Weavers Fields area of Bethnal Green, east London, on 1 August 2024.

According to the police report, the victim said she encountered two men on Whitechapel Road at around 11:30pm that night. The allegation is that the two men took her to the Weavers Fields area and sexually assaulted her there.

After the attack, a passer-by rescued the victim and gave her immediate help. Police say that initial step played an important role in alerting the authorities and starting the investigation that followed.

Since the incident came to light, Scotland Yard officers have investigated for the past two years. The work has included reviewing local CCTV footage, forensic examinations and questioning possible witnesses.

A major turn came on 18 September this year, when the Metropolitan Police received important intelligence from the public. The effort to find Jaigirdar and Ahmed is now based on that new information.

Investigators believe Jaigirdar fled to Bangladesh shortly after police first published information about the case. Ahmed is feared to have used European travel networks to evade law enforcement, although police have not completely ruled out that he may still be in the UK.

The independent charity Crimestoppers, which takes crime information, announced the reward for those who provide information. It said up to £10,000 is available for specific information that helps lead to the suspects' arrest and conviction, and that informants can give information completely anonymously.

Detective Chief Inspector Anna Dayton of the Metropolitan Police, who is leading the investigation, thanked the public for their help and appealed for more information. She said extensive inquiries had been carried out since the crime was reported, thanked everyone who gave information in response to the September appeal, and said the information received had helped move the investigation forward.

Dayton urged anyone who knows the two men's whereabouts, or who knows anything that could help the investigation, to come forward. She also urged Ahmed and Jaigirdar themselves to contact police immediately.

The Metropolitan Police is continuing international coordination with counterpart law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh and Europe. Both suspects remain on the wanted, fugitive list.