Ex-Bangladesh air force officer linked to Hasina’s fleeing clip found dead in Dhaka

A former Bangladesh Air Force officer, KM Tahsif Souri, was found dead in a river in Dhaka on Thursday, a day after he went missing.According to the Daily Star, the 28-year-old had reportedly recorded a video showing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina leaving Bangladesh on August 5, 2024,River police recovered Souri’s body from the Tongi Bandar Ghat area after receiving a call through the national emergency helpline 999.The body was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for an autopsy. His identity was confirmed after his mobile phone and wristwatch were found with the body.According to Prothom Alo, Souri lived with his family in Sector 18 of Uttara.Police said the cause of death was not yet known. Although drowning was suspected, officials said the postmortem report would help establish the cause.Father says ‘son felt unsafe’Souri’s father KM Enayetul Karim Helal said he did not know who was responsible for his son’s death. He told Jago News that Souri had sometimes expressed fears about his safety.“Tahsif would sometimes tell me that he was feeling a little apprehensive. But he never told me what he was worried about,” Helal said.According to his father, Souri was dismissed from the Air Force on disciplinary grounds. He later worked at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Netra News and, most recently, Virgo Tobacco.“Before evening, one of his junior friends came to call him from downstairs. Tahsif told his mother, ‘Dip is here. I’ll go and talk to him.’ He went downstairs but never returned home,” he said.Video linked to Hasina’s departureSouri’s reported role in recording the video has drawn attention to his death. Hasina fled Dhaka on August 5, 2024, as mass protests led to the collapse of her government.She reportedly left by military helicopter before boarding a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft that flew to India’s Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad.Hasina has remained in exile in India and has vowed to return to Bangladesh. However, police have not established any link between Souri’s death and the video he reportedly recorded.