KARACHI: The probe into the mysterious murder of 26-year-old entrepreneur and IBA student Mir Raza Ali has taken a dramatic turn, with police uncovering a major crypto-investment angle involving substantial financial losses, senior investigative sources revealed on Monday.
Raza Ali, a resident of the PECHS neighborhood, mysteriously vanished after leaving his home in an online taxi at 4:09 a.m. on July 28. His decomposed body was recovered two days later from a vacant spot in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, bearing a fatal point-blank gunshot wound to the chest.
Financial Dispute & Crypto Connection
Investigators probing his business dealings revealed that the deceased had pooled and invested significant sums of capital from multiple individuals into digital currencies. However, the business suffered severe financial losses around April this year, giving rise to intense disputes with investors.
Police have now widened the scope of their interrogation, pulling in several individuals involved in the cryptocurrency investments for rigorous questioning.
“The heavy financial exposure and subsequent losses in digital assets are currently serving as a primary line of inquiry,” an official privy to the investigation stated, requesting anonymity.
Missing Shell & Ballistic Anomalies
Forensic analysis has established that the bullet extracted from the victim’s chest was fired from a .30-bore pistol. Crucially, investigators noted that the weapon missing from the scene—evidenced by the empty holster recovered earlier—was also a .30-bore handgun.
However, forensic experts face a key anomaly: despite extensive sweeps of the location where the body was dumped, search teams failed to recover a single spent bullet casing, suggesting the crime scene may have been scrubbed or that the shooting took place elsewhere.
Technical Analysis Underway
High-tech units are currently attempting to unlock Raza Ali’s recovered mobile phone, which was found roughly 200 yards from his body. Investigators believe access to the encrypted device will unlock critical digital footprints, transaction logs, and final communications.
The case has been further complicated by the deliberate deactivation of all of Raza Ali’s social media accounts a day before his body was discovered—an operation police suspect was executed either under duress or by the perpetrators to erase evidence.
The multi-agency investigation team continues to cross-examine suspects and analyze telecom data to piece together the final hours of the young businessman.
