KARACHI: Police have acknowledged before a court in their interim report that despite investigating all possible angles, they have yet to find any clue or make any breakthrough in the Mir Raza Ali murder case, and have sought more time to submit the final charge sheet as they are still awaiting forensic reports.
The investigating officer (IO) in the mysterious murder case, DSP Siraj-uddin-Lashari, filed an interim charge sheet before the judicial magistrate (East) on Monday, informing the court that digital evidence, including an Apple Watch, the deceased’s mobile phone and CCTV footage, had been sent to Lahore for forensic examination. However, the IO sought more time to submit the final charge sheet, stating that the forensic reports were still awaited.
In the seven-page interim report, the IO named 63 witnesses, while writing “no one” in the column for the accused. In his conclusion, the IO stated that despite investigating all possible angles, the police had yet to find any clue or make any breakthrough in the case.
The report also contained detailed information about the case from the registration of the FIR on the complaint of the deceased’s father after Mir Raza went missing, to the handing over of the investigation to the new probing team. The team interviewed his parents, friends, fiancé, investors of the deceased and others, including the gardener who informed the police about the discovery of the body, as well as online cab drivers.
Seeks more time to submit final charge sheet as forensic reports are awaited
In one of the statements, a security guard, Muhammad Yusuf, who was performing his duty near the crime scene, told police that he had heard a gunshot around midnight between July 27 and 28. However, when he went outside to check, he did not find anyone or see any vehicle in the area.
In her statement to the investigating team, the deceased’s fiancé informed police that, when she came to know that Mir Raza had deleted or deactivated his social media accounts, she contacted the deceased’s business partner, Ahmed Bharday, as she was unable to reach Mir.
The report stated that Ahmed had tried to contact Mir but failed. He then contacted the manager of their Bahadurabad branch to inquire about the deceased. The manager informed Ahmed that Mir Raza had left the branch after closing it and had taken the cash with him.
The report further stated that the deceased’s mother was informed about the situation. She later checked Mir Raza’s room but could not find him there. However, his wallet, car keys and watch were found in the room.
It added that Mir Raza’s family and friends searched for him and checked CCTV footage, in which he could be seen getting into a white-coloured car. They subsequently registered an FIR.
The following evening, when a security guard came for duty at Mir Raza’s business, he found that his weapon was missing and immediately informed Ahmed. The business partner of the deceased later checked the CCTV footage, which showed that Mir Raza had returned to the branch and, after taking the gun, left in his car.
According to the report, the deceased took an online cab in the early hours of July 28, and the driver dropped him off on Manzoor Street in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. He was later seen walking alone from there; then he threw away his mobile phone and continued walking towards the road leading to a nursery.
Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2026
