Dhaka – Questions surround the death of a former Air Force officer after police recovered his body from a river near the capital, Dhaka, a day after he went missing.

Naval police pulled the body of former Flight Lieutenant Tahsif Souri, 28, from the Turag River on Wednesday, Shahinur Zaman, an on-duty officer at Uttarkhan police station, told reporters on Thursday.

The retired Air Force officer had been missing since Tuesday evening.

Media reports said he was involved in the publishing of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's escape by a helicopter in the face of a mass uprising in August 2024.

The reason behind his death could not be determined. But police said the cause of death could be known as soon as the autopsy report is available.

Firoz Uddin, an officer at the Naval police outpost in Tongi, said the victim used to live with his family in Dhaka's Uttara Sector 18, and he went missing on Tuesday.

An internal Naval police report said its team recovered the body from the river acting on information received through emergency number 999 at 4:30 pm on Wednesday. The body was drifting in the Turag River adjacent to Rajabari Ghat under Uttarkhan Police Station.

The victim's identity could not be initially confirmed. He was wearing a white pajama and a black T-shirt, a watch was found on his hand, and an iPhone was in his pocket, according to the report. The phone helped confirm his identity, it added.

Later, one of his relatives was informed, and the body was sent for autopsy at Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.

One of Souri's uncles said on Thursday that a friend called him out in the evening on Tuesday. He last messaged at 1:35 am that he was returning. But ever since, his phone could not be reached.

Souri was serving as a pilot of the 77th Long Course in the Bangladesh Air Force. He resigned from the job after August 5, his father KM Enayetul Karim Helal said.

He is learnt to have worked at the Bangladesh Cricket Board after he resigned from the Air Force.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, when asked to comment on the death, said he will come up with updates once the autopsy report is available.