A Queens supermarket owner who prosecutors said considered himself the “King of New York” was convicted of leading a series of revenge kidnappings within his Bangladeshi community.
A federal jury in Brooklyn took about two hours to find Abu Chowdhury, 36, guilty of three counts of kidnapping and three counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping after a two-week trial that included surveillance footage of the abductions, testimony from victims and evidence from two accomplices who cooperated with prosecutors.
Chowdhury, co-owner of BD Fresh supermarket in Jamaica, Queens, selected his victims as part of an effort to protect and enhance his reputation, prosecutors said. His wife, Iffat Lubna, was also convicted in a separate trial in April.
The charges carry potential life sentences, although prosecutors said Chowdhury could realistically face decades in prison.
Kidnappings tied to disputes
One of the victims had been involved in a long-running TikTok dispute with a 41-year-old Queens resident who had challenged Chowdhury’s reputation. Prosecutors said Chowdhury and an accomplice ambushed the man on March 27, 2023, forced him into a Honda and drove him around Queens for several hours.
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The jury was shown video recorded by Chowdhury that prosecutors said documented part of the kidnapping. The victim was later given water mixed with what appeared to be a sedative and regained consciousness at a local hospital with multiple injuries.
The two subsequent kidnappings were also linked to disputes involving Lubna, according to prosecutors.
In one case, a man who had met Lubna through an online English-as-a-second-language class contacted her in May 2023. Prosecutors said Lubna and Chowdhury arranged a meeting that became a trap. Chowdhury and an accomplice allegedly forced the man into a minivan, where Lubna was waiting.
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Prosecutors said the victim was beaten with a metal bar, had his phone taken, and was forced to provide $1,000 from his bank account. The kidnappers also contacted his father to demand a ransom before taking him to a hotel in Long Island City, where prosecutors said Chowdhury sexually assaulted him.
Co-defendants also convicted
Prosecutors also secured convictions against Syed Ruhel Ahmed, 46; Shahed Alom, 32; and Ruhel Choudhry, 36, who were identified as accomplices in the kidnapping operation.
Two other members of the group cooperated with authorities.
The case is expected to move to the sentencing phase, with the kidnapping convictions carrying the possibility of life imprisonment.
