The body of 28-year-old Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri was recovered from the Turag River on Wednesday (October 28), a day after he went missing. Souri was widely believed to have recorded or shared footage of Hasina leaving Bangladesh aboard a military aircraft in August 2024, according to reports.

Souri's family has alleged murder, raising questions about the circumstances of his death.The recovery was confirmed by Bangladesh's River Police on Thursday (October 29), with officials saying the cause of death would be established after a postmortem examination. Hours later, Souri's cousin, Moshfeka Jahan, alleged on Facebook that he had faced harassment over the Hasina video and had been killed.The death has revived questions about Souri's reported dismissal from the Bangladesh Air Force in August 2024 and his alleged role in sharing footage of Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country.

However, authorities have neither confirmed his involvement in releasing the video nor established any connection between it and Souri's death.The death of the Air Force officer comes just months before Sheikh Hasina is expected to return to Bangladesh, as she vowed while living in exile in India. On August 5, 2024, Hasina fled Dhaka in a military helicopter before reportedly boarding a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft, operating under the callsign AJAX1431, which flew to India's Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad.

Sources that day told India Today TV, Indian radars closely tracked Hasina's Bangladesh Air Force C-130J aircraft as it entered Indian airspace. The Indian Air Force also activated two Rafale fighter jets to provide assistance if needed, before the aircraft landed at Hindon airbase, where National Security Adviser Ajit Doval received her.BANGLADESH AIR FORCE OFFICER'S BODY FOUND IN DHAKA'S TURAG RIVERAccording to Bangladeshi daily, The Daily Star, Souri's body was recovered from the Turag River on Wednesday after police received information through the national emergency helpline 999.

The former officer had been missing since Tuesday (October 27). Inspector Firoz Uddin of the Tongi River Police Outpost told Dhaka-based newspaper, The Business Standard, that police officers recovered the body at around 4.30 pm near Rajabari Ghat in Dhaka's Uttarkhan area.Souri was wearing white trousers and a black shirt.

Police initially recovered the body as that of an unidentified man. An iPhone found in his pocket helped establish his identity.

A wristwatch was also recovered. The body was subsequently sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka for an autopsy.According to Prothom Alo, Souri lived with his family in a flat in Sector 18 of Uttara.

Police said the exact cause of death remained unknown. Although drowning was initially suspected, officials said a definitive conclusion could only be reached after the postmortem report.SOURI'S COUSIN ALLEGES MURDER OVER HASINA VIDEOSouri's death took a political turn after his cousin, Moshfeka Jahan, alleged that he had been murdered because of his involvement in circulating the video of Hasina's departure.Jahan made the allegations in a Bangla Facebook post at 3.04 am on Thursday. "My brother was murdered.

What was his fault? Sharing the video of Hasina fleeing?

He did not even record it himself; he shared it as a citizen. One of his colleagues had recorded it," she wrote.Jahan alleged that Souri had been subjected to repeated mental harassment after the video circulated. "They were not satisfied even after sending him into retirement and subjecting him to mental torture day after day.

They had to kill him," she wrote on Facebook.She further claimed that detectives continued following Souri even after he left the Bangladesh Air Force. Jahan also alleged that her cousin, who had been in good health, was called out of his home before his death.WHAT WAS SOURIS'S LINK TO HASINA'S ESCAPE VIDEO?On August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh as massive protests against her government culminated in her resignation after 15 years in power.

Footage showing the prime minister leaving the country aboard a military aircraft subsequently circulated on social media.Souri's name later emerged in connection with the recording or release of the video. In its report, The Daily Star noted Souri was "reportedly the person who recorded the footage."However, his cousin's account suggests a different role.

She claimed he had just shared a recording made by another officer. But, neither version has been officially established.WHY DID SOURl LEAVE BANGLADESH AIR FORCE?Questions have also emerged about the circumstances surrounding Souri's departure from the Bangladesh Air Force.

According to Jago News, Bangladesh's Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) issued a statement on August 4, 2025, addressing his retirement. The military's public relations agency said Souri had been retired in accordance with institutional rules, under different circumstances and without any allegations against him.However, reports and social media discussions have linked his departure from the service to the controversy surrounding Hasina's escape footage.

His cousin has alleged that he faced harassment before and after leaving the Air Force.Meanwhile, Shaheenur Zaman, duty officer at Uttarkhan Police Station, told Jago News on Thursday that no complaint had been filed at the station at the time of his statement. With the autopsy findings awaiting, investigators have yet to establish whether Souri drowned accidentally, died by suicide or was killed.- Ends