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Metropolitan Police officers have launched an international manhunt backed by a £10,000 Crimestoppers reward to locate Bangladeshi national Jahidul Hassan Jaigirdar, 34, who departed the United Kingdom on 18 September after a two-year investigation into the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl in Weavers Fields, Bethnal Green. Detectives are simultaneously appealing for public assistance to trace a second man, Showkoth Ahmed, 31, in connection with the serious sexual assault reported in the East London park on 1 August 2024. The protracted timeline between the initial offence in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the public identification of the two men has prompted rigorous scrutiny regarding police investigative capacity and UK border alert protocols.
According to official police disclosures, the teenage complainant was approached on Whitechapel Road on the evening of 1 August 2024 and led into nearby Weavers Fields by two men, where she was subjected to a serious sexual assault. A member of the public discovered the girl shortly after the incident and alerted emergency services, prompting the Metropolitan Police to open a complex inquiry involving specialist child abuse and sexual offences detectives. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that both men sought for questioning maintain established personal and residential links within the Tower Hamlets area.
A central operational question surrounding the inquiry is why more than two years elapsed between the reported offence in August 2024 and the formal naming of the sought individuals. In the months following the incident, Scotland Yard officers undertook extensive forensic examinations and reviewed hundreds of hours of closed-circuit television footage across Whitechapel Road and Bethnal Green. However, in densely populated urban areas, matching CCTV imagery to verified legal identities requires either a hit on the Police National Computer or corroborating community intelligence.
Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that a vital breakthrough did not occur until 18 September this year, when new information provided by the public enabled detectives to formally progress the investigation and identify Jahidul Hassan Jaigirdar and Showkoth Ahmed as the men they wished to question. However, intelligence indicates that Jaigirdar left the United Kingdom on a commercial flight bound for Bangladesh on the exact same day the public appeal was initiated, while authorities also remain alert to potential transit routes across mainland Europe.
While public frustration has focused on how an individual sought in connection with an indictable offence was able to pass through airport security unimpeded, legal and border enforcement frameworks highlight the procedural constraints facing detectives. Under United Kingdom law and Home Office regulations, UK Border Force cannot arbitrarily detain passengers or place individuals on the Ports Watch alert system without a verified legal identity and sufficient evidential grounds to justify an arrest or port stop.
Prior to the intelligence breakthrough on 18 September, an unidentified individual or a person not yet formally linked to the investigative file could cross international borders legally without triggering automated border security warnings. The operational scrutiny therefore centres on the narrow timing window on 18 September, specifically examining how many hours elapsed between the receipt of actionable intelligence by the Metropolitan Police and the transmission of port circulation alerts to UK Border Force terminals. Under the strict liability rules of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, all commentary must remain focused on documented procedural timelines so as not to prejudice any future judicial proceedings should an arrest and prosecution take place.
The departure of a sought individual to South Asia introduces significant diplomatic and legal complexities for British law enforcement. While Showkoth Ahmed, 31, is believed by detectives to remain within the United Kingdom, locating and returning an individual from Bangladesh requires formal international policing cooperation through Interpol channels and the Ministry of Home Affairs in Dhaka. Bangladesh is currently designated as a Category 2 territory under the UK Extradition Act 2003, meaning any formal return request must navigate lengthy diplomatic treaties, dual-criminality assessments, and foreign judicial hearings before a suspect can be brought before an English court.
Detective Chief Inspector Anna Deighton, who is leading the Metropolitan Police investigation, emphasised the ongoing commitment of her team to securing answers for the complainant. "We have carried out extensive enquiries since this offence was reported," Deighton told to journalists. "The information we received has helped progress our investigation and led us to this stage. We are asking anyone who knows their whereabouts, or who has information that could assist our investigation, to come forward immediately. We would also urge Ahmed and Jaigirdar to contact police."
To accelerate the search, the independent charity Crimestoppers has authorised a financial reward of up to £10,000 for information passed directly to its service that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individuals sought over the Weavers Fields incident. Alexa Loukas, London Regional Manager at Crimestoppers, underscored the importance of community cooperation in resolving the two-year inquiry. "A young girl was subjected to a horrific and traumatic attack. While identifying the two men police wish to speak to is a positive step, locating them remains crucial," Loukas told to journalists.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that specialist officers continue to liaise with both domestic border agencies and international law enforcement partners to trace both men. Members of the public who possess knowledge regarding the current locations of Jahidul Hassan Jaigirdar or Showkoth Ahmed are urged to contact the Metropolitan Police immediately by calling 101 and quoting official crime reference 01/668295/24, or by contacting Crimestoppers with complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.
