A Dhaka court has placed Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dwip, a friend of former Air Force flight lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri, on a four-day remand in a murder case filed over Tahsif’s death.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Hasib Ullah Piyas passed the order on Saturday, following a hearing in which police sought seven days of remand for Dwip.
State prosecutor Azizul Haque Didar sought the remand, saying investigators needed to question Dwip to uncover the circumstances surrounding the killing.
He told the court that a video showing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country, which was later made public, belonged to Tahsif. Investigators would look into whether the killing was linked to the release of the video, he said.
Defence lawyer Mutasim Billah said they had deliberately refrained from seeking bail and did not oppose remand in principle. However, they said that two days would be sufficient instead of the seven days sought by police.
“The investigating officer sought seven days’ remand. We agreed that remand was necessary in the interest of the investigation, but argued that two days would be sufficient,” he said.
The defence lawyer also claimed that Dwip was cooperating with police and said that he would have fled if he had been involved in the crime.
Investigation Officer Firoz Uddin sought seven days of remand on five grounds, including the need to establish the circumstances surrounding the murder, identify and arrest other suspects, and recover evidence related to the killing.
According to the remand petition, Dwip allegedly called Tahsif and took him outside around 6pm on 27 October.
The following day, at around 4:30pm, police received a call through the national emergency service 999 reporting that an unidentified body was floating in the Turag River near Rajabari Ghat in Uttarkhan.
Police identified the body during preparation of the inquest report using an iPhone found in the pocket of the deceased’s trousers.
The victim was later identified as former Air Force officer KM Tahsif Souri.
The petition further stated that investigators, using information technology and intelligence sources, found that Dwip had accompanied Tahsif to the Mazar slum area under Tongi West Police Station.
During preliminary questioning, Dwip identified Tahsif as his senior and elder brother. However, investigators suspect his involvement in the killing based on information and evidence collected so far.
Earlier, Dwip was brought to the court around 2:15pm in police vehicle and kept in the court lock-up before the hearing.
On Friday night, Tahsif’s father, KM Enayetul Karim, filed a murder case with Uttarkhan Police Station against unidentified persons. Police subsequently showed Dwip arrested in the case.
The murder case was filed three days after the body was recovered. The River Police are investigating the case.
