Statements given by Shahriar Reza Dip (Tahsif’s junior friend) and Jerika Tasnim Disha (his girlfriend) during police remand have produced significant new details in the investigation into the death of former Bangladesh Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri (28).
CCTV footage from the Tongi Mazar Basti area has also highlighted the presence of three suspicious women on the night of October 27, raising questions about what exactly happened to Tahsif near the Turag River.
CCTV Timeline in Tongi Mazar Basti
CCTV footage shows that around 1:00 a.m. on October 27, before Tahsif went missing, he and Dip parked a motorcycle on the road in front of shops in Tongi Mazar Basti and entered an alley leading toward the field by the Turag River bank. Three women tried to stop them, warning: “Go away, don’t go that way—there’s a raid.” Tahsif told Dip in English, “Don’t talk too much, just walk.” Nearby men were heard saying they should go ahead and get beaten up.
Further footage shows Tahsif standing and talking with one woman in the field. He appeared unsteady on his feet and was later seen arguing loudly with her. Dip stood slightly behind him holding a helmet, with two other women behind Dip. As Tahsif walked into the darkness, Dip followed using his phone’s torchlight. The two women stood in front of the CCTV camera watching in Tahsif’s direction.
At around 1:14 a.m., an eight-member police team entered the field on a routine patrol. Six minutes later, Dip was seen walking alone with his helmet along the Mazar Basti road. Around 1:30 a.m., he left the area on his own motorcycle and went to his home on Babar Road in Mohammadpur. The following afternoon (October 28), Tongi Naval/River Police recovered Tahsif’s body from the Turag River near Rajabari Ghat in the Uttarkhan area.
Investigators note that the three women seen in the footage may hold key information about what happened to Tahsif that night and that bringing them under legal process could help uncover the full circumstances.
Statements from Remand
Dip, currently on four-day remand, told investigators that on the night of October 27, after a drunken argument with girlfriend Jerika Tasnim Disha at Nest Bar (near Sonargaon Janapath), Tahsif went to Tongi Mazar Basti to buy heroin.
According to the investigating officer of Tongi Naval Police, citing Dip: Some time earlier, Disha had gone to another young man’s house to consume yaba (methamphetamine-based pills) and had a physical relationship with him. Tahsif learned of this. On October 27 he called Disha and took her to Nest Bar. After entering, he asked staff to play a sad song. Waiters served drinks; Tahsif consumed three beers of 16% alcohol content. The group (including Dip) drank for about an hour and a half. During the drinking, Tahsif repeatedly questioned Disha about consuming yaba with the other man and spending the night with him, leading to a heated argument. At one point Tahsif told her, “You have taken yaba; I will take something even bigger. I will take heroin.” The three then left the bar.
Earlier CCTV and investigation records show the group arrived at Nest Bar and Restaurant in Uttara Sector 11 around 10:17 p.m., spent roughly 90 minutes there, and that Disha (19) was later dropped off before Tahsif and Dip headed to the Tongi area. Multiple phone conversations between Tahsif and Disha have also been noted.
Investigation Status and Background
Inspector Firoz Uddin of Tongi Naval Police Outpost, the investigating officer, said the crime scene was visited with Dip, his statements were verified, no injury marks were found on Tahsif’s body, the bar was checked, and mobile phones were analyzed. When asked how Tahsif could have sent a voice message to his mother around 1:30 a.m. (“Mommy, I’m coming” / “Ammu, ami aschi”) after police entered the field at 1:14 a.m., the officer said further questioning of Dip and Disha (both on remand) would continue. The actual cause of death will be determined by the autopsy report, which will also show whether drugs were consumed or any poison was administered.
Key prior details from earlier reports:
- Body recovered around 4:30 p.m. on October 28 after a 999 call. Inquest noted blood from the nose, swollen abdomen, arms bent toward the head with clenched fists, eyes and mouth closed, and no external injuries. He was wearing a black shirt and white trousers/pajamas; an iPhone and wristwatch helped identify him. He was a trained swimmer.
- Father KM Enayetul Karim (former director of Padma Oil) filed a murder case against unknown persons at Uttarkhan Police Station, ruled out suicide, and alleged the body was dumped in the river. Family noted Tahsif had expressed vague fears after leaving the Air Force.
- Motorcycle (no number plate) recovered near the Mazar Basti area, believed to be Tahsif’s. Dip initially claimed they were chased and Tahsif jumped into the river while he fled.
- Tahsif lived with his parents and siblings in Sector 18, Uttara (RAJUK apartment complex). Ancestral home in Sonadanga, Khulna. He had been associated with controversy over footage of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving Bangladesh by aircraft on August 5, 2024 (reports variously said he recorded or shared it). Accounts of his exit from the Bangladesh Air Force differ between disciplinary dismissal (family) and administrative retirement (ISPR). He later worked with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Netra News, and a tobacco company.
The investigation continues, with police cross-checking statements against CCTV, phone data, and other evidence. The autopsy results remain crucial to determining the precise cause of death.