Ahmed Shahriar Reza Deep, a friend of former Bangladesh Air Force flight lieutenant Tahsif Souri, has come into the spotlight following Tahsif’s death.
On October 27, Deep left home with Tahsif. The two repaired Tahsif’s motorcycle and later had dinner before parting ways in the House Building area of Uttara.
Deep said that after returning home, he called Tahsif but found his phone switched off. He was also unable to reach him by phone the following morning.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Deep discussed his relationship with Tahsif, the events of that day and their business dealings. Deep said he had known Tahsif for around 6 years. He described Tahsif as an elder brother and said he addressed him as such because Tahsif was older.
Deep recently graduated in civil engineering from the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) and currently lives in Mohammadpur, Dhaka.
How the evening of October 27 unfolded
According to Deep, Tahsif’s motorcycle had broken down and would not start. As Deep had some knowledge of motorcycles, Tahsif sought his advice. Deep subsequently went to Tahsif’s home, and the two tried for around 10 to 20 minutes before getting the motorcycle started. They then took it to a workshop for necessary repairs and an oil change.
After the work was completed, Tahsif invited Deep to dinner. They later ate together at a restaurant in Rupayan Shopping Complex in Uttara.
Deep said they left after dinner on separate motorcycles. When they reached the House Building area of Uttara, he went in one direction while Tahsif headed in another. He said they parted ways at around midnight.
Deep said he had noticed nothing unusual about Tahsif’s behavior that day. He recalled that one of Tahsif’s friends had called him while they were eating, but their conversation appeared normal.
Deep says he found Tahsif’s phone switched off
Deep said he called Tahsif after reaching home but found his phone switched off. Tahsif had been charging his phone using a power bank at the restaurant. Deep therefore assumed that the phone had run out of charge and switched off. He tried calling again the following morning but could not reach him.
Asked whether he suspected anyone in connection with Tahsif’s disappearance, Deep said he had no reason to suspect anyone at that point. He said there had been no conversation with Tahsif since they first met that could have led him to anticipate an incident.
Deep said: “Like the other 10 people, I am in exactly the same mystery.”
Business connection involving security guard supply
Tahsif’s father, KM Enayetul Karim Helal, had said that his son had recently started a security guard supply business and that Deep looked after the work.
Deep also acknowledged having a business connection with Tahsif. According to him, personal disagreements could arise among acquaintances over business matters, but the issue was not particularly serious.
Deep was also acquainted with members of Tahsif’s family. Tahsif’s father said Deep’s parents had visited the family’s home once.
Tahsif asked Deep to look after his younger brother
Deep said Tahsif would occasionally tell him to look after his younger brother if anything happened to him. However, he did not want to elaborate on why Tahsif made such remarks.
Regarding a viral video of Tahsif concerning former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country, Deep said he had learned about it through the media. He said he had not discussed the matter with Tahsif.
He said he had gone to the morgue when Tahsif’s body was taken away following the autopsy. He added that he had not gone out since then, out of consideration for the concerns of Tahsif’s family.
According to Deep, he and Tahsif parted ways after dinner on the night of October 27, and he had no further contact with Tahsif. However, he said he had no information about what exactly happened that night.