‘Punish them’: Wife of off-duty NYPD cop mugged in the Bronx begs for justice
The wife of an off-duty NYPD cop pummeled during a brutal mugging in the Bronx begged authorities on Wednesday to “punish” those involved — and ensure they aren’t just released on bail.
Officer Muhammed Chowdhury, 48, suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain after he was jumped by three men while out jogging just blocks from his home Tuesday morning, his family and police said.
Chowdhury’s wife, Nadira Sherin, told The Post from their home Wednesday that authorities need to capture his attackers — and lock them up.
“You cannot let these men out the same day that they are arrested,” his wife said, referring to New York’s controversial bail reform law.
“Punish them,” she added. “If they release them the same day, that is not justice for my husband.”
When Mayor Eric Adams and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark visited the father of three in the hospital late Tuesday, his wife said she demanded they “take this seriously.”
“He (made) the city his priority and he did 18 years of service for this city,” Sherin. “He deserves to be given justice. He does not deserve to be attacked like this.”
Police said the cop’s mugging matched a pattern of 19 robberies in the city since Aug. 1. The first two occurred in Queens, while all others happened in the Bronx, including six just on Monday.
The three men involved in the vicious mugging — which occurred while Chowdhury was running near 823 Olmstead Ave. just after 10:30 a.m. — still hadn’t been arrested as of Wednesday, according to police.
Chowdhury, who is assigned to the NYPD’s Central Park precinct, was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center Tuesday morning after he was found lying on the sidewalk bleeding from his left ear after being punched in the head.
His wife of 12 years told The Post she had repeatedly tried to text and call him in the hours after he failed to return from his daily jog, but got no answer.
“I figured he must have gone to work,” she said, adding that her husband often had bad phone service in his office. “Then the police call me and they say where is Muhammed? And I say he is at work and they say no he is not.”
She said officers from the Bronx precinct were dispatched to their home and returned later with photos of Chowdhury lying in a hospital bed.
“They showed me pictures of him in the hospital bed and they asked me if that was him and I said yes,” Sherin said.
Chowdhury was initially listed as a John Doe when he arrived at the hospital because those who attacked him stole his wallet containing his ID, cellphone and keys, police and sources said.
It wasn’t until later that the NYPD realized he was one of New York’s Finest.
The officer, who was initially listed as critical, was awake and no longer intubated as of Wednesday, but was still unable to speak, according to his wife and sources.
“They gave him medicine at the hospital and he can recognize people again,” Sherin said. “He didn’t understand, but now he understands that he is in the hospital.”
She added that he would be monitored for the next two to three days before doctors will determine if he needs surgery or if he can return home.
His nephew, Jamil Ahmed, described the hospitalized officer as “very kind” and “generous,” adding that he had encouraged more than a dozen people to join the NYPD ranks.
“More than 15 people are in the department just because of him. He motivated them to be there and there are a lot more coming,” the 23-year-old nephew said Wednesday.
“He is like an idol to everybody. He’s been helping everybody. He is a good person,” Ahmed continued. “He wants to do a good job for people.”
In the wake of his uncle’s attack, Ahmed said “people are not safe anywhere in the city.”
“If you see the police officers, who are the public servants, they are protectors. If they are getting attacked, how are we safe in the city?” he said.
Additional reporting by Amanda Woods
