KARACHI — DNA testing has confirmed that the body recovered last month from Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area is that of businessman Mir Raza Ali, as the police committee investigating his death expanded to seven members and a magistrate’s court set August 15 as the deadline for submission of the probe report.
The developments mark the most consequential stretch yet in a case that has drawn sustained public and political attention across Sindh since Ali, 25, went missing on July 28 and was found dead a day later. His father, Mir Hussain Ali, has rejected police theories that his son died by suicide and has insisted from the outset that he was murdered.
Main Development
A notification issued this week added Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sirajuddin and Inspector Muhammad Ali to the investigation team formed on August 9, bringing its total strength to seven members, according to the Express Tribune. Separately, a former investigating officer told the Judicial Magistrate East that the case’s investigating officer had recently changed and sought additional time to file the probe report; the court granted the request and directed that the report be submitted by August 15.
The forensic picture in the case has also shifted markedly this week. Four DNA samples collected during a second post-mortem, carried out after Ali’s body was exhumed on August 8, were matched against reference samples from his parents at the Sindh Forensic DNA Laboratory at the University of Karachi, confirming his identity, according to investigative sources cited by the Express Tribune. A blood sample recovered from a broken flowerpot near the site where the body was found also matched Ali’s blood, the sources said.
Key Details
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| July 28 | Mir Raza Ali, 25, reported missing; family says he was kidnapped from PECHS |
| July 29 | Body found with a gunshot wound in Gulistan-e-Jauhar; case initially treated as a possible suicide |
| Aug 6 | A .30-bore pistol casing recovered from the crime scene |
| Aug 8 | Body exhumed on court orders; second post-mortem conducted |
| Aug 9 | FIR amended to add murder charges; first investigation team dissolved; new committee formed under DIG Amir Farooqi |
| Aug 10 | Committee holds first meeting; questions former investigators and records parents’ statements |
| Aug 11 | Committee secretary revisits the crime scene with the victim’s family and lawyer |
| Aug 12 | DNA and chemical reports confirm identity and possible tampering; medico-legal officer removed; team expanded to seven |
| Aug 13 | Cybercrime agency questions individuals over social media claims linked to the case |
| Aug 15 | Court-ordered deadline for submission of the investigation report |
The committee is chaired by DIG Crime and Investigation Amir Farooqi and includes:
- SSP Ali Raza (Rapid Response Force) — committee secretary
- SP Qais Khan, Investigation Korangi
- SP Anum Tajammul, Investigation Central
- An officer from the Special Investigation Unit, Zaman Town
- DSP Sirajuddin (added August 12)
- Inspector Muhammad Ali (added August 12)
What the Forensic Findings Show
A chemical examination of Ali’s clothing found traces of acid and evidence consistent with an attempt to conceal his identity, including the apparent removal of fingerprints from his hands, according to findings cited by ARY News. The report also noted a bullet hole on the back of his shirt and a larger exit hole at the front, consistent with medical findings that he had been shot from behind.
The second post-mortem, conducted after the exhumation, recorded a roughly 12-centimetre fracture and injury on Ali’s right thigh, a fracture and deep injury to his jaw, and additional marks of violence on his face and body, according to findings cited by Geo News. Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar has separately acknowledged that the initial crime scene was not preserved as required, a factor officials have cited in explaining early gaps in the investigation.
Authorities removed Dr Osama, the medico-legal officer who conducted the original autopsy, after an inquiry found serious lapses in that examination, officials told Pakistan Today. Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho acknowledged that mistakes had occurred at multiple levels, including within the health department. “Lapses do occur, but we take steps to rectify them,” he told ARY News.
Committee Widens the Probe
Investigators have compiled a list of 10 individuals who reportedly lent money to Ali, with the combined loans said to exceed Rs50 million, according to sources cited by ARY News. The list includes one person said to have lent him Rs17.5 million and another said to have lent Rs500,000; police plan to question all 10 as part of the widening inquiry.
Ali’s father told ARY News that his son had known the people he went to meet were more influential than the local police station, and alleged that professionals had lured him to a location before the killing. He said he still trusted the new committee, adding that it had listened to the family’s concerns since being formed less than a week ago.
Cybercrime Agency Questions Individuals Over Social Media Claims
In a related but separate development, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) issued notices to four individuals — Syed Abdullah, Amin Qureshi, Bilal Warisi and Ubaid Qureshi — directing them to appear at its Karachi office at 11:30 a.m. on August 13 over social media posts that Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon says falsely linked him and his son, Rawal Memon, to the case. Memon filed a complaint on August 9 through his lawyer, Advocate Syeda Malaika Naqvi, describing the material as fabricated and politically motivated, and asked the agency to pursue action under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act.
The Facebook page Karachi Stories, one of the pages named in the complaint, has since issued a public apology and retracted its posts about Memon. No evidence linking Memon or his son to the murder investigation has been reported by the police committee.
Background
Ali, an IBA graduate who owned the dessert chain Wafflix, was reported missing on July 28 and was found dead the next day in bushes in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, having sustained a gunshot wound. Ferozabad police initially registered a kidnapping case before amending it on August 9 to add Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which covers murder, following the findings of the second post-mortem.
The original investigation team was dissolved after the family, through lawyer Jibran Nasir, said it had no confidence in a probe that had leaned toward a suicide theory. A court subsequently allowed exhumation of the body at the father’s request. The Sindh health department briefly reconstituted the medical board overseeing the exhumation, prompting objections from the family and a short delay before the original board was restored and the exhumation proceeded on August 8.
Lanjar announced on August 9 that the provincial government would seek a judicial commission, led by a Sindh High Court judge, to oversee the probe. The proposal was deferred within days after the family, through Nasir, said it had not requested a judicial commission and expressed confidence in the newly formed police committee instead.
What Happens Next
The investigation committee’s report is due before the Judicial Magistrate East by August 15. Police are expected to question the individuals identified on the loan list in the coming days, and the NCCIA inquiry into the social media posts continues. Nasir has said officers responsible for any delay in sending forensic samples to laboratories could face consequences if negligence is established, and that the direction of the investigation should become clearer as the committee’s work continues. Sindh officials have said the judicial commission proposal remains on hold but has not been ruled out, depending on the committee’s findings.
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