Friend taken in custody

Investigators probing the unexplained death of former Bangladesh Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri have taken a young friend of the deceased into custody for questioning, as they seek to establish his final movements and the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) took Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dwip into custody from a flat in Mohammadpur around midnight on Thursday.

A senior PBI official said Dwip had reportedly spent about six hours with Tahsif before the former officer went missing.

Investigators are questioning him to verify details of Tahsif’s movements and gather information that could help uncover the circumstances of his death, the official said.

The PBI has also recovered a motorcycle from Tongi in Gazipur, although investigators were still checking whether it belonged to Tahsif.

Speaking to UNB over the phone on Friday morning, PBI Dhaka Metro-North Additional Deputy Inspector General Md Enayet Hossain Mannan said Dwip, son of Selim Reza, had been taken into custody for questioning and information gathering.

“He is currently with us, and we are collecting information from him. We will verify the information to see whether it provides any clues to the killing,” he said.

CCTV footage recorded shortly before Tahsif’s disappearance showed him with a man whom his family identified as Dwip.

The footage showed the two meeting in front of a garage at the RAJUK Uttara Apartment Project in Sector 18 of Uttara at around 6:30pm on October 27. After exchanging greetings and shaking hands, they left the area on separate motorcycles.

Family members said Tahsif had left home after receiving a phone call from Dwip.

Dwip later told the family that Tahsif’s motorcycle had developed a mechanical problem and that they had taken it to a workshop for repairs.

He reportedly said they had a meal together after the repair work was completed before going their separate ways.

However, whether Dwip had any involvement in Tahsif’s disappearance or death remains under investigation.

On October 28, police received information at around 4:30pm that a body was floating in the Turag river. Members of the Tongi River Police Outpost subsequently recovered it from the Rajabari Ghat area of Uttarkhan.

The deceased was later identified as Tahsif.

An autopsy was conducted at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital on Thursday, but the exact cause of death has not yet been established.

Tahsif’s namaz-e-janaza was held at 4:35pm at the Central Jame Mosque of the RAJUK Uttara Apartment Project.

He was later buried at a graveyard in Sector 12 of Uttara.
Earlier, his father, KM Enayetul Karim, expressed suspicion that his son had been murdered and called for an investigation.

The circumstances surrounding the death, including whether anyone was involved, are yet to be determined.