Transponders off, tensions on: How Sheikh Hasina pulled off dramatic escape from Bangladesh

In a meticulously orchestrated operation, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina departed Dhaka on August 5, 2024, under a veil of secrecy, amid escalating political unrest. She landed at Hindon Airport in India.

Hasina's aircraft remained the most tracked plane that day. As per real-time data from the flightradar24 website, Bangladesh Air Force aircraft AJAX1431 become the most tracked plane globally, with over 29,000 people following its route at one point of time.

Here's how the escape took place:

The Bangladesh Air Force's Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, designated AJAX1431, took off from Bangabandhu Airbase at 3.09pm, officially listed as a training flight. To obscure its trajectory, the aircraft's transponders and automatic geolocator systems were deactivated until it neared Indian airspace over West Bengal, The Daily Star reported citing sources.

Upon approaching Indian airspace, AJAX1431 reactivated its transponders at waypoint "BEMAK" and altered its course from Kolkata to Hindon Air Force Base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

This clandestine departure occurred just 30 minutes before protesters seized the Gono Bhaban , Hasina's official residence.

Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, unaware of Hasina's departure, was preparing to announce her resignation. In a later interview, he acknowledged the volatile situation and the potential risks to Hasina's life had she remained in the country.

"When I was holding discussions with the political parties, somebody informed me that she is going to exit the country, she is on the run. I did not know that she was leaving the country. I think that if she had stayed, it could have been a risk to her life. Definitely, nobody would have wanted an extra-judicial killing to have happened. The situation was extremely volatile," he said.