Former Bangladesh Army chief found dead in Chittagong

The former Army chief of Bangladesh Lt Gen (retd.) M Harun-Ar-Rashid was found dead in a room at the Chittagong Club on August 4, according to media reports.

The 77-year-old Harun arrived in Chittagong from Dhaka on Sunday to attend a court hearing, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported, quoting the police.

A senior official of the Destiny Group, of which the retired lieutenant general was the president, confirmed his death, the bdnews24.com news portal reported.

His body was found after he did not appear in court at the court hearing's scheduled time and did not respond to phone calls, the official said.

"Club officials went to his room and found him dead," he said.

Harun served as Bangladesh's Army chief from 2000 to 2002.

He came to Chittagong to answer a summons in a case over financial irregularities involving Destiny Group, according to the report.

Later, his body was sent to the Combined Military Hospital, Chittagong.

The cause of the former Army chief's death is not yet clear; however, police and family members suspect he died from a brain haemorrhage, the report said.