A special CCTV footage from July 28 and 29 at a nursery on University Road has established a timeline of events from the discovery of the Mir Raza Ali’s body to its removal from the scene, raising questions over the initial investigation and the handling of evidence.
According to reports, CCTV footage from July 28 shows a gardener watering plants at the nursery as usual. However, no body can be seen at the location in the footage from that day.
On July 29, the gardener was again at the site watering the plants. According to the footage, at 11:52 a.m., the gardener was watering the plants when he allegedly noticed the body.
Following the discovery, two police officers arrived at the scene on a motorcycle at 12:24 p.m. At 12:41 p.m., the footage shows the officers checking a mobile phone found at the location.
An Edhi ambulance arrived at the scene at 12:50 p.m. According to the footage, the ambulance remained there for approximately an hour before leaving with the body at 1:46 p.m.
Reports say search-device personnel were informed approximately 15 minutes after the body was discovered, but they did not reach the scene in time. The Crime Scene Unit (CSU) is also not visible at the location during the period covered by the footage. According to sources, the Crime Scene Unit reached the scene the following day.
The CCTV footage has raised a key question: why was the scene not immediately secured and why did the relevant forensic and investigative teams fail to reach the location promptly after the discovery of the body?
Sources said that failure to secure the crime scene in a timely manner could result in the loss or contamination of crucial evidence. They added that the procedure used to collect evidence from the site should also be reviewed to determine whether all necessary legal and forensic requirements were followed during the initial stage of the investigation.
