The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has found discrepancies in the statements of Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dwip, who was with former Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri shortly before his death.
Dwip initially told the media that he and Tahsif had dinner at a restaurant before going their separate ways. However, during questioning, he reportedly told investigators that several people chased them at the scene, prompting Tahsif to jump into the Turag River while he fled.
The conflicting accounts have prompted investigators to examine Dwip’s statements and reconstruct the movements of the two before Tahsif’s death.
Speaking to the media earlier, Dwip said he and Tahsif first visited a motorcycle workshop before heading to a restaurant at Ruap Complex for dinner.
After the meal, they left separately, with Dwip returning home for personal work, he said.
He also said he had met Tahsif several times before and visited different restaurants with him. Although he could not specify exactly how long they were together that night, he claimed they remained together until around 11:30pm.
When asked to elaborate on the events following their meeting, Dwip said he was at home with his parents and could not speak further without their permission.
However, PBI officials provided a different account of what Dwip told investigators.
Abu Yusuf, superintendent of police at the PBI headquarters, said Dwip told investigators that they were talking at the scene when several people chased them.
“Tahsif jumped into the river, while I fled,” Yusuf quoted Dwip as saying.
He added that investigators were verifying Dwip’s statements alongside other information obtained during questioning.
Md Enayet Hossain Mannan, additional deputy inspector general of PBI Dhaka Metro North, said all information provided by Dwip was being cross-checked.
According to Mannan, Dwip claimed that some people wearing police uniforms had chased them. Investigators are trying to identify who was involved in the alleged chase.
“Many things have been said, but everything is being verified,” he said.
Mannan added that the post-mortem examination would help determine whether Tahsif and Dwip were under the influence of drugs.
He said Dwip returned home after 2:30am, while investigators were examining where the two had been before that.
The two had travelled to the area on separate motorcycles, and Dwip left with one of them, Mannan said.
Investigators have collected CCTV footage from several locations and are examining the recordings to establish their movements.
He added that the last confirmed location where Tahsif was with Dwip was Mazar slum in Tongi.
Motorcycle without a number plate recovered
Meanwhile, the PBI recovered a motorcycle without a number plate from Mazar slum in Tongi on Friday morning, close to the spot where Tahsif’s body was recovered from the Turag River.
Abu Yusuf said investigators were yet to confirm whether the motorcycle belonged to Tahsif.
PBI Dhaka Metro North Inspector Syed Sajedur Rahman told TIMES that preliminary investigation and information provided by Dwip had helped investigators locate the motorcycle.
Dwip had also shared information about the places Tahsif used to visit and the people he associated with, he said.
Investigators are still examining why the two went to the location where Tahsif’s body was later recovered, Sajedur added.
PBI officials also conducted searches at different locations with Dwip to verify his statements and gather further evidence.
The River Police is leading the investigation into Tahsif’s death, while the PBI is conducting a shadow investigation to assist the investigation.
