The cause of death of retired Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Flight Lieutenant Tahsif Souri will be known after the completion of the preliminary investigation and autopsy, said Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed 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 progrmme at parade ground of Bangladesh Police Academy at Sarda in Rajshahi .
It is not possible to confirm the cause of the death before the investigation and autopsy, he said.
Referring to the law and order situation, the minister said the government is successfully identifying and arresting suspects, conducting investigations and ensuring trials after crimes are committed.
However, he acknowledged that there might be exceptions in a few cases.
The minister also claimed that since the BNP assumed office, there has been no extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies, bomb attacks or deaths in custody.
Earlier, river police have recovered the body of a former Bangladesh Air Force officer Tahsif Souri from the Turag River in Dhaka.
Inspector Firoz Uddin of the River Police’s Tongi outpost told the media on Thursday that they received information through the national emergency service 999 and recovered the floating body from the Rajabari Ghat area of the river around 4:30pm on Wednesday.
“We found a mobile phone with him and identified him through the phone,” he said.
Shahinur Zaman, duty officer at Uttarkhan Police Station, said on Thursday morning that the Tongi River Police outpost recovered the body from the Turag River on Wednesday afternoon.
As the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the River Police, its members went to the spot and took the body away.
Inspector Firoz Uddin said there were no visible injury marks on the body.
The body of Tahsif was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
According to the River Police’s preliminary report, Souri was wearing white pyjamas and a black shirt.
A wristwatch was found on his hand, while an iPhone was found in his pocket.
Souri reportedly recorded the video that circulated on August 5, 2024, showing then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving the country by an aircraft from Kurmitola Airport.