The cause of death of retired Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Flight Lieutenant Tahsif Sauri will be determined after the preliminary investigation and autopsy are completed, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Thursday.
“Once we receive the post-mortem report and examine all relevant aspects, we will be able to provide further details,” he told reporters after attending a programme at the Bangladesh Police Academy parade ground in Sardah, Rajshahi.
He said the cause of death could not be confirmed before the investigation and autopsy were completed.
Speaking about the law and order situation, Salahuddin said the government was successfully identifying and arresting suspects, investigating crimes and ensuring trials, although he acknowledged that there could be exceptions in some cases.
He also claimed that there had been no extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies, bomb attacks or deaths in custody since the BNP assumed office.
River Police recovered Sauri’s body from the Turag River in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon.
River Police’s Tongi outpost inspector Firoz Uddin told reporters on Thursday that they had received information through the national emergency service 999 and recovered the floating body from the Rajabari Ghat area at around 4:30 pm on Wednesday.
“We found a mobile phone with him and identified him through the phone,” he said.
Uttarkhan Police Station duty officer Shahinur Zaman confirmed on Thursday morning that the Tongi River Police outpost had recovered the body the previous afternoon.
As the incident fell under the jurisdiction of the River Police, its personnel went to the scene and took custody of the body.
Firoz Uddin said there were no visible injury marks on the body, which was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
According to the River Police’s preliminary report, Sauri was wearing white pyjamas and a black shirt. A wristwatch was found on his wrist and an iPhone in his pocket.
Sauri reportedly recorded a video that circulated on 5 August 2024, showing then prime minister Sheikh Hasina leaving the country by aircraft from Kurmitola Airport.
