Former Bangladesh Air Force officer accused of being RAW spy:Body found in river a day earlier; was removed after he filmed Hasina fleeing

Former Bangladesh Air Force officer KM Tausif Sauri, who had been accused of links with India’s intelligence agency RAW, was found dead in Dhaka’s Turag River on 28 October. The 28-year-old had been missing since Wednesday. Sauri had been accused of recording a video of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arriving in India by helicopter. A few days later, he was removed from the Air Force. Bangladeshi newspaper Amar Desh had alleged that an Air Force investigation had found links between some officers and RAW. However, Bangladesh’s Directorate of Inter-Services Public Relations rejected the allegations. Identified through iPhone found in his pocket According to Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, the officer’s body was found near Rajabari Ghat. Sauri was wearing white trousers and a black shirt. Police were initially unable to identify the body. He was identified with the help of an iPhone found in his pocket. A wristwatch was also recovered from the body. His remains were then sent to Dhaka’s Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Lost his job after video of Hasina emerged On 5 August 2024, Sheikh Hasina’s government fell in Bangladesh following student protests. She then came to India by helicopter. A video of her leaving the country went viral on social media. A few days after the incident, in September 2024, Sauri was removed from the Air Force. According to her father, the family was told that she had been removed for disciplinary reasons. However, the family said that Sauri had a good record and had flown aircraft for around 200 hours. The Air Force also said that her removal had no connection with Hasina’s video. She had been retired from service under the rules. Sauri dismissed RAW report as propaganda in podcast In July 2026, Sauri appeared on a podcast called ‘Speak with Rashid’. He was asked whether he had lost his job for making the video of Hasina. He replied, “It could be.” Regarding the allegations of links with RAW, he said the report by Amar Desh was propaganda. According to him, false claims had been spread against him through the report. On the same podcast, Sauri also questioned the investigation into the fighter jet crash that took place on 21 July 2025. A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft had crashed into Dhaka’s Milestone School and College. Thirty-seven people were killed and more than 170 were injured in the accident. Sauri had raised questions about the aircraft’s maintenance and the investigation into the accident. Father says, ‘Son feared for his safety’ Sauri’s father, Inayat ul Karim Helal, said his son had become concerned about his safety after the podcast went viral. He said Sauri would sometimes say that he was afraid, but would not explain why. According to the Dhaka Tribune, Sauri’s father and cousin have expressed suspicion that he was murdered. However, the cause of his death is not yet clear. The police investigation and post-mortem report will reveal how he died. ​