Bangladeshi authorities are awaiting postmortem findings on former Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri, whose cousin alleges he faced harassment over footage she said showed Sheikh Hasina leaving the country.
Police accounts cited by The Business Standard and Jago News say Souri went missing Oct. 27 and was found in the Turag River in Dhaka the next day. An emergency call to national helpline 999 brought officers to the river, and an iPhone in his pocket helped identify him, according to those accounts.
Jago News published an English translation of a Facebook post by Souri’s cousin, Moshfeka Jahan. She said another officer recorded the video and Souri shared it. The Daily Star reported that Souri was reportedly the person who filmed it. Officials have not confirmed either account or the video’s precise content.
The Daily Star reported that the police inquest found no external injury marks but noted blood coming from Souri’s nose and a swollen abdomen. The inquest details did not determine a cause of death.
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Oct. 29 he would defer comment on the cause and any possible involvement by others until investigators’ initial findings were available and the autopsy had been reviewed. The Daily Observer reported the autopsy was completed at about 2:15 p.m. Bangladesh time (08:15 UTC) that day, but police were still waiting for its report.
