The body of 28-year-old former Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri was recovered from the Turag River on Wednesday, October 28, a day after he went missing.

His death has drawn renewed attention to his reported role in the circulation of footage showing Hasina leaving Bangladesh aboard a military aircraft following the collapse of her government.

Souri's cousin, Moshfeka Jahan, alleged on Facebook that he had faced persistent harassment over the video and was killed because of his alleged involvement in sharing it.

However, authorities have not confirmed his role in the video's release or established any connection between the footage and his death.

Bangladesh River Police confirmed the recovery of the body on Thursday, October 29.

Officials said the cause of death would be determined through a postmortem examination.

The incident has also revived questions about Souri's departure from the Bangladesh Air Force in 2024 and comes amid renewed attention to Hasina's plans after she fled to India.

Ex-Air Force officer's body recovered from river

According to Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, police recovered Souri's body after receiving information through the national emergency helpline 999.

He had reportedly been missing since Tuesday, October 27.

Inspector Firoz Uddin of the Tongi River Police Outpost told The Business Standard that 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 when police found him.

Officers initially treated the body as that of an unidentified man, but an iPhone recovered from his pocket helped establish his identity. A wristwatch was also found.

Authorities subsequently sent the body 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 circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear.

Although officials initially suspected drowning, they said the postmortem examination would be necessary to establish the cause of death.

Cousin alleges murder over Hasina's escape clip

Souri's death took a political turn after his cousin, Moshfeka Jahan, accused unidentified individuals of killing him because of his alleged involvement in circulating footage of Hasina's departure from Bangladesh.

In a Bangla-language Facebook post published at 3:04 am on Thursday, Jahan questioned why her cousin had been targeted.

"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 experienced repeated mental harassment after the footage circulated. She also claimed that the pressure continued even after he left the Air Force.

"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.

She further alleged that detectives continued to follow Souri after his departure from military service.

According to her account, her cousin had been in good health and was called out of his home before his death.

These allegations have not been independently established, and the authorities have yet to confirm whether Souri's death was connected to the video.

Souri's link to Hasina-fleeing video

On August 5, 2024, Hasina left Bangladesh after weeks of protests against her government culminated in her resignation, ending her 15-year tenure as prime minister.

Footage showing her departure aboard a military aircraft subsequently circulated on social media, drawing widespread attention to the circumstances surrounding her exit.

Souri's name later emerged in reports about the recording and circulation of the footage.

The Daily Star described him as "reportedly the person who recorded the footage".

However, Jahan offered a different account, claiming that Souri had shared a video recorded by another Air Force officer rather than filming it himself.

Neither account has been officially confirmed.

Authorities have not publicly established whether Souri recorded the footage, shared material supplied by a colleague or played another role in its circulation.

According to reports at the time, Hasina initially left Dhaka aboard a military helicopter before travelling on a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft to India's Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad.

The aircraft reportedly operated under the callsign AJAX1431.

As per media reports, Indian radars tracked the aircraft as it entered Indian airspace, while the Indian Air Force activated two Rafale fighter jets to assist if required.

The aircraft subsequently landed at Hindon, where National Security Adviser Ajit Doval received Hasina.

Questions surround Souri's exit from Air Force

Souri's reported departure from the Bangladesh Air Force has become another focus of attention following his death.

According to Bangladeshi news outlet Jago News, the 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 retired in accordance with institutional rules and under different circumstances, without any allegations against him.

However, reports and social media discussions have linked his departure from the service to the controversy surrounding the footage of Hasina's departure.

Jahan alleged that Souri faced harassment before and after leaving the Air Force.

Her claims have not been independently verified, and the official statement cited by Jago News did not establish a connection between his retirement and the video.

The circumstances surrounding his departure from military service therefore remain a subject of scrutiny following his death.

Police await autopsy findings

Bangladeshi authorities have yet to establish the cause of Souri's death or determine whether another person was involved.

Shaheenur Zaman, the duty officer at Uttarkhan Police Station, told Jago News on Thursday that no complaint had been lodged at the station at the time of his statement.

The postmortem examination is expected to help investigators determine how Souri died.

Police have not established whether the death resulted from accidental drowning, suicide or homicide.

His cousin's allegations have raised questions about possible links between his death and the controversy surrounding the Hasina footage.

However, investigators have yet to confirm any such connection.