Tahsif Sauri’s death: Missing bike, final voice message and fears before he died

Former Bangladesh Air Force flight lieutenant KM Tahsif Sauri had expressed fears for his safety after leaving military service, his father said, raising further questions about the unexplained death of the 28-year-old, whose body was recovered from the Turag River on Wednesday.

Sauri's final known communication was a hurried voice message to his mother at 1:35 am, saying he was on his way home. Hours later, police found his body floating near Rajabari Ghat in the capital's Uttarkhan area. His motorcycle remains missing, while an iPhone recovered from his pocket could provide clues to his final movements.

His family alleges that he was murdered and his body dumped in the river. Police have found no visible external injuries, and the cause of death remains undetermined pending an autopsy.

The case has also renewed scrutiny of Sauri's departure from the Air Force and his reported association with footage showing ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving Bangladesh during the August 2024 uprising. 

No evidence has emerged as of now establishing a connection between those events and his death.

A final evening with his family

Sauri, who lived with his parents and two younger siblings at the RAJUK Apartment Project in Uttara's Sector 18, spent Tuesday, October 27, shopping with his mother. He also bought several items for his father, KM Enayetul Karim Helal, a former director of Padma Oil Company Limited.

“His friend named Dip came to call him. He told his mother that he would go downstairs to talk for a while. But he never returned. At 1:35am, he sent a voice message, speaking very quickly, saying, ‘I’m coming, I’m on my way, I’m coming,’” Karim told Daily Waadaa on Thursday.

At 1:35am on Wednesday, Sauri sent her a voice message. His mother repeatedly called his mobile phone that night but received no response. The message was the last known communication between Sauri and his family.

Relatives subsequently contacted Dip to establish what had happened that evening. According to the family, Dip said the two had eaten together on Tuesday night and that he later dropped Sauri near his residential area before returning home.

It remains unclear where the two parted company, what time they separated or where Sauri went afterwards. On Wednesday, Karim visited Turag Police Station around noon while searching for his son. Officers told him they had no information about his whereabouts.

At approximately 5:15pm, he received a call from Uttarkhan Police Station informing him that his son's body had been recovered. Karim said his son was not known to visit the area where the body was found.

What police found

River Police recovered Sauri's body at approximately 4:30pm on Wednesday near Rajabari Ghat on the Turag River.

Firoz Uddin, inspector-in-charge of the Tongi River Police outpost, told Waadaa that police had received information about a floating body through the national emergency helpline, 999.

Sub-Inspector Mostafizur Rahman of the same outpost prepared the inquest report after examining the body. The report recorded blood coming from Sauri's nose and swelling of his abdomen. No visible external injuries were found.

His chest, back, legs and other examined parts of his body appeared normal. His eyes and mouth were closed, while both arms were bent towards his head and his hands were clenched into fists.

He was wearing a black, long-sleeved kabli shirt and white trousers. Police recovered a wristwatch and an iPhone from his body. The phone helped establish his identity.

The body was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.

As of Thursday, October 29, no post-mortem findings had been made public. The initial examination did not establish whether Sauri had drowned or died from another cause.

The missing motorcycle and iPhone

Sauri's motorcycle remains unaccounted for, according to relatives who said he had taken it when leaving home on Tuesday evening. His relative Ejaz Hossain told Samakal that the motorcycle was missing from the family's apartment building and that its whereabouts were unknown.

“We have spoken to Dwip as well, but Tahsif's motorcycle is missing. Police asked us for the motorcycle's details and photographs, and we have provided them,” Ejaz told the Bengali newspaper.

Family members said Sauri had been involved in a motorcycle accident about a month earlier, after which they had advised him not to ride. Police have requested the vehicle's identifying details and photographs, but its recovery has not been reported.

Meanwhile, the iPhone recovered from Sauri's pocket could help investigators establish his movements and communications before his death.

International Crimes Tribunal prosecutor and digital forensics expert Tanvir Hasan Zoha has called for a forensic examination of the device, saying potentially important evidence must be preserved.

Zoha told Waadaa that investigators should examine available Apple and iCloud records, Gmail and Facebook account activity, communications, location-related information and recoverable deleted data.

He recommended reconstructing Sauri's final 72 hours by comparing information from the phone with telecommunications records, CCTV footage, witness accounts and post-mortem findings.

He also stressed the importance of preserving the device in its existing condition and maintaining a documented chain of custody.

“Based on my experience, evidence collection cannot properly begin unless these steps are taken,” Zoha said.

There has been no public confirmation that police have completed a forensic examination of the phone or obtained the relevant account records. 

Dismissal from Air Force and Hasina footage controversy

Sauri's previous service in the Bangladesh Air Force has also drawn attention following his death. His father said he had been dismissed on disciplinary grounds, but the family had not been informed of the specific violation.

“After my son was dismissed from his job, he would sometimes tell me that he was worried about something. But he never explained exactly what he was afraid of. He never mentioned receiving any threats or named anyone,” Karim said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate, however, previously described Sauri's departure differently.

According to an ISPR statement, Sauri and another officer, Flight Lieutenant Rifat Ashrafi, had been retired under the Air Force's prevailing rules and regulations as an administrative measure.

The difference between the family's account of a disciplinary dismissal and ISPR's description of administrative retirement has not been clarified.

Sauri had also been associated with a controversy involving footage of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following the uprising that ended her government.

On August 4, 2025, Daily Amar Desh reported that Sauri had posted footage of Hasina's departure, recorded by Flight Lieutenant Rifat Ashrafi.

When contacted by the newspaper, Sauri initially responded: “Which video? I don’t quite understand what you are referring to.”

Following his death, some social media users and former military associates raised questions about whether the footage controversy had any connection to his death.

His relative Moshfeka Jahan alleged in a Facebook post that Sauri had been murdered and monitored by intelligence personnel following his retirement. Former military colleague KSM Intisaar Inzimam also sought to connect the death with the footage controversy.

After leaving the Air Force, Sauri worked for the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Netra News before joining a tobacco company, where he was most recently employed, according to his father.

Karim described his son as gentle and sociable, saying he maintained good relationships with people around him.

Family alleges murder, police investigation continues

Karim has rejected the possibility that his son died by suicide and called for an investigation into the circumstances of his death.

“No, no, this was not a suicide. He had spent the whole day with his mother and went shopping. He was in a very happy mood,” he told Waadaa.

“I believe he was murdered and his body was dumped in the river. An investigation by the government could identify the actual perpetrators. It would reveal which group was involved, who did it and why. He was an asset to the country—a pilot,” he said.

Another relative alleged that Sauri had been killed in a planned attack.

The family's allegations have not been supported by publicly released forensic findings, and police have not established that a homicide occurred. Karim said the family would consider filing a case after his son's burial.

As of Thursday, no case had been filed in connection with the death.

Habibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Uttarkhan Police Station, told Prothom Alo that police had not received a formal complaint and that the river police were handling the matter.

Firoz Uddin of the Tongi River Police outpost also confirmed that no case had been filed and said investigators were examining all aspects of the incident.

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