CCTV footage from the ground floor of his residence has captured former Bangladesh Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri (also referred to as Tahsif Sauri) leaving his home on the evening of Tuesday, 27 October 2026, hours before he went missing.
In the footage, the 28-year-old is seen shaking hands with a man wearing a green panjabi. A blue motorcycle was waiting nearby with its engine running and the headlight on. Then the two men are seen leaving the area.
The identity of the man in green panjabi could not be ascertained till Thursday evening.
According to his father, KM Enayetul Karim (also reported as Enayet Helal/Karim Helal), Tahsif spent the entire day of 27 October shopping for family members. He went with his mother and also bought items for his father and other relatives. In the evening, he left home after receiving a call from a junior named Dip (or Deep/Dipan). He did not return.
At around 1:35 am, the family received a message from him saying “Ammu, ami aschi” (“Mom, I’m coming” meaning I’m going outside). There was no further contact. The family learned of his death around 5:15 am the next day through police information. His father said Tahsif had never previously visited the Rajabari Ghat area where his body was later found. He also stated that his son had been in a good mood after shopping and ruled out suicide.
Tahsif’s body was recovered from the Turag River near Rajabari Ghat in Dhaka’s Uttarkhan area on Wednesday afternoon (around 4:30–5:45 pm) after a call to the national emergency number 999. Tongi River/Naval Police recovered the body, which was floating near a speedboat. He was wearing a black full-sleeved shirt and white trousers. A wristwatch and an iPhone were found on him; the phone was used to identify him. The body was sent to the morgue at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for autopsy.
An inquest (surathal) report prepared by Sub-Inspector Mostafizur Rahman of the Tongi River Police Outpost found no external injury marks on the body. However, blood was noted coming from his nose. His eyes and mouth were closed, both arms were bent toward his head with fists clenched, and his abdomen appeared swollen. He was described as approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall with black hair and a short black beard and moustache. His chest, back, legs, and other areas appeared normal externally. Dhaka Range Naval Police Superintendent Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed there were no visible injury or wound marks. The CID Crime Scene Unit has collected evidence. Police have said they will register a case if the family files a formal complaint; no case had been filed as of Thursday morning.
Tahsif lived with his family in Sector 18 of Uttara, Dhaka. His ancestral home is in Sonadanga, Khulna. His father said he was dismissed from the Bangladesh Air Force on disciplinary grounds (others were also dismissed around the same time). ISPR had earlier stated that he and Flight Lieutenant Rifat Ashrafi were administratively retired under prevailing Air Force rules and regulations, and that the retirement was not linked to certain public allegations. After leaving the force, Tahsif worked at the Bangladesh Cricket Board and various private organisations.
He had attracted significant public attention over a video that went viral showing then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving the country by aircraft from Kurmitola Airport on 5 August 2024, amid the mass uprising that led to her ouster. Reports and social media discussions linked him to recording or spreading the footage. In a long interview published on the YouTube channel “Speak with Rashid” on 21 July (in an episode focused on the Air Force and related events), Tahsif addressed media reports. He noted that one report clearly stated he had spread the video but did not claim he recorded it; it said Rifat Ashrafi recorded it and he circulated it. He questioned the evidence for these claims and said it was possible this was why he was no longer in the Air Force. He also described certain media reporting on the matter as potentially serving propaganda.
His cousin, Moshfeka Jahan, posted on Facebook early on Thursday alleging that he had been murdered after facing harassment and mental pressure over the video (which she said he shared but did not record himself). She claimed the pressure continued even after he left the force. The exact circumstances and cause of death remain under investigation pending the autopsy report.