A domestic worker employed at the home of Kazi Anarkoly, the deputy consul general of the Bangladesh consulate in Los Angeles, has been missing for six months.
The US state department has been informed of the matter. Bangladesh foreign ministry has also been informed of the situation, said Bangladesh Embassy Press Secretary Shameem Ahmed.
The incident comes soon after the arrests of Shahedul Islam, the deputy consul general in New York, and Bangladesh UNDP employee Hamidur Rashid, over charges related to domestic aides.
Anarkoly brought Sabbir, 40, to the US in 2015 when she was appointed to the position of deputy consul general.
The charges of physical abuse against Islam and Rashid have given rise to speculation that a similar situation existed in Anarkoly’s home.
“The consulate office has not said much, so nothing is confirmed,” Bangladeshi expatriate and pantomime artist Kazi Moshhuru Huda told bdnews24.com. “But there is no doubt that something happened.”
Los Angeles Consul General Priyatosh Saha and Anarkoly could not be reached for comment.
According to a consulate official, an order has been issued to transfer Anarkoly to Jakarta.
US-based diplomats from India, Indonesia, Iraq and Qatar have been accused of violence against domestic workers in recent time.
Some believe domestic workers are bringing charges against their employers in the US to get permanent resident status.
A Bangladeshi diplomat at the UN, on condition of anonymity, told bdnews24.com. “It seems domestic aides are getting trapped by a quarter and they are bringing charges against their employers only to stay in the United States permanently."
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