The investigating officer in the case over the killing of former Air Force officer M Tahsif Sauri, 27, today sought a third seven-day remand for accused Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dip, 23. The remand petition says Dip gave details of that night during two earlier rounds of questioning.
According to the petition, Dip called Tahsif out of his home at around 6:00pm on October 27. The two men and a young woman then went to a garage together to have a motorcycle worked on. That evening they visited CP Five Star Snacks several times, and at night they went to a restaurant in Uttara, where they drank beer. At some point the woman went home.
Tahsif and Dip reached Tongi’s Mazar slum at 12:40am. They passed through the slum to a field on the bank of the Turag River, where they saw some people and split up, the petition says.
Inspector Feroz Uddin of Tongi River Police outpost, who is investigating the case, filed the petition. It says Dip has provided several important pieces of information, which are being verified, but has evaded a number of questions and stayed silent.
After reviewing the movements and meals of the victim and the accused, along with CCTV footage and mobile call lists, investigators found that Tahsif was last seen with Dip and the young woman before his death, the petition says. It adds that evidence suggests they were involved in the incident in some way. For a fair investigation, Dip must be kept in jail until the probe ends, it says, since he might flee and obstruct the investigation if released on bail. He also needs to be questioned thoroughly, it adds.
Seeking cancellation of the remand, Dip’s lawyer told the court his client had nothing to do with the victim’s death, knew nothing about the incident and was innocent. He said there was no justification for taking him on remand repeatedly.
State counsel Omar Faruque Faruki told the court Dip was linked to the incident but was cleverly evading all information during interrogation. He said Tahsif broadcast the video of Sheikh Hasina’s flight shortly after 12:00pm, which is how people learnt she had fled, and that the footage would have remained unknown had he not recorded it. Dip needed to be placed on a seven-day remand to uncover whether there was any other instigation or involvement and to learn the motive for the killing, he said.
