Death of former air force officer Tahsif: friend Deep, who spent six hours with him before he vanished, taken into PBI custody
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has taken into custody Deep, described as a junior friend of former Bangladesh Air Force flight lieutenant M Tahsif Souri, in connection with Tahsif's death. Deep had spent about six hours with Tahsif before he went missing.
A senior law-enforcement official confirmed the development late on Thursday night (29 October), saying PBI members had taken Deep away in connection with Tahsif Souri's death and that he had no further details.
A police source said law-enforcement personnel took Deep on Thursday night from the third floor of a house in Block B of Babar Road in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. Deep is the son of Selim Reza, a resident of the area.
CCTV footage from before Tahsif's disappearance shows him with a man whom family members identified as Deep. According to the footage, at around 6:30 pm on 27 October the two met in front of a garage at the Rajuk Uttara Apartment Project in Sector 18 of Uttara, Dhaka. After shaking hands, they left on two separate motorcycles.
According to the family, Tahsif left home responding to Deep's call. Deep later said that Tahsif's motorcycle had a problem, so they went to a workshop; after the motorcycle was fixed, they returned home and ate, after which Deep left. What role, if any, Deep played in Tahsif's disappearance and the later recovery of his body remains a matter for investigation.
Earlier, at around 4:30 pm on 28 October, police went to the Turag River after reports of a floating body. Members of the Tongi river police outpost recovered the body from the Rajabari Ghat area. It was identified as Tahsif Souri's from the wristwatch and the iPhone in his pocket.
The next day, Thursday, an autopsy was completed at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. His funeral prayer was held at 4:35 pm at the central jame mosque of the Rajuk Uttara Apartment Project in Sector 18, Uttara, and he was later buried at the Sector 12 cemetery in Uttara.
No final conclusion has yet been reached on the cause of Tahsif's death. His father, K M Enayetul Karim, expressed suspicion over his son's death and raised fears of murder. The actual cause of death, and whether anyone was involved, is to be confirmed through the investigation.
