https://arab.news/7jb3h
- Mir Raza Ali, 25-year-old businessman, was found dead under mysterious circumstance in Karachi last month
- Ali’s father, lawyer had demanded a new investigation team after postmortem revealed gunshot wound on his body
ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Sunday constituted a new team to investigate the suspected murder of Karachi-based entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali, a day after the late businessman’s lawyer and father raised doubts over the original team formed to probe the case.
Ali, the 25-year-old owner of Karachi-based dessert brand Wafflix, was found dead under mysterious circumstance in the city’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area on July 29. The investigation surrounding his death came under scrutiny on Aug. 3 after Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed issued a memorandum identifying 14 deficiencies in Ali’s initial post-mortem examination.
The court approved the family’s request for a second postmortem examination earlier this week, after which the Sindh health authorities sought to change the composition of the medical board, adding members from outside the Karachi division, the family and its lawyer said. Ali’s family protested against the move, following which the old medical board was reinstated, and the second postmortem took place on Saturday. The second postmortem report stated that Ali’s body border a gunshot wound on the back while his body carried bruises in multiple places.
The family’s lawyer Jirban Nasir and Ali’s father, Mir Hussain Ali, said the report pointed out that the Wafflix owner had been murdered. Nasir on Saturday demanded the entire investigation team be changed and a new one comprising “transparent” officers be formed to probe the case.
“In the light of postmortem (exhumation) report No. 9/2026 dated 8.8.2026, which is in contradiction to the postmortem report no. 329/2026 dated 29.7.2026, a new investigation team consisting of the following officers is hereby constituted to supervise investigation of case,” a notification by the office of the Sindh inspector general of police said.
The case will now be investigated by a five-member team headed by Sindh Deputy IG (Crime and Investigation) Amir Farooqui and comprising Alfalah Senior Superintendent Police Syed Muhammad Ali Raza, Qur’angi Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Qais Khan, Central Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Anam Tajjamul and Zaman Town Senior Investigation Officer Chaudhry Ghazanfar.
The notification mentioned that police have added sections 302 and 201 under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to the original first information report (FIR). Section 302 relates to committing intentional murder. Section 201 pertains to tampering, hiding or destroying proof of a crime or lying to protect the guilty person.
The initial FIR was registered only under Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which pertains to kidnapping.
The notification said the investigation team will undertake a “comprehensive and impartial” investigation into the case from all angles. It shall identify, collect, preserve and examine any new or additional evidence and shall thoroughly examine and analyze all physical, technical, circumstantial and forensic evidence collected during the investigation.
“The team shall make all out efforts to work out the case and submit a report to the concerned court within a stipulated period,” the notification said. “The team may co-opt any officer to assist in the investigation. Progress be reported on day-to-day basis.”
Ali’s murder sparked anger among Karachi’s youth and triggered protests led by influencers based in the city. The family and their lawyer have claimed that police initially indicated that Ali had taken his own life due to financial difficulties. They, however, alleged that he had been abducted, tortured, and murdered.
Protest demonstrations, mostly led by the city’s youth, have been held in several parts of the city following his suspected murder.
Protesters have demanded an end to the deteriorating law and order situation in the metropolis.
The medical board has reserved its final opinion on Ali’s cause of death pending chemical and toxicology analyzes. Those tests are expected to form part of the assessment of whether the fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted or resulted from homicide.