KARACHI: A newly discovered CCTV video of 2 hours and 17 minutes has changed the direction of the investigation into the murder of 25-year-old Karachi businessman Mir Raza Ali, with investigators now describing it as the most important piece of evidence in the case.
According to a report by a private TV channel, the CCTV footage was recorded near the location where the body was recovered and covers the crucial hours on the night of July 28 and 29, raising new and serious questions over the initial police investigation.
Suspicious Motorcycles, Police Mobile Spotted Near Body
According to the report, suspicious persons and motorcycles can be seen in the footage, and the presence of a police mobile near the exact spot where the body was later found has also been established.
The footage shows two suspicious motorcycles near the place where the body was recovered between 3:35 am and 3:37 am.
In the same video, a motorcycle is seen changing its headlights near Nursery, while at 4:50 am, a suspicious person is seen walking in the same area.
At 5:08 am, the blue and yellow lights of a police mobile were switched on, and at 5:45 am, a police officer can also be seen in the camera frame.
In a significant sequence, the police mobile is seen leaving the spot at 5:52 am, but just five minutes later, at 5:57 am, the same vehicle returns from the wrong side of the road and then heads towards Safoora Chowrangi.
According to the report, worryingly, no investigation has so far been conducted with the police mobile and its personnel who were present near the body for such a long duration.
Background:
The emergence of the CCTV footage is the latest twist in the high-profile case. Mir Raza Ali’s body was found on July 29. Police initially attempted to portray the death as a suicide, a claim strongly rejected by the family.
A second postmortem conducted after court-ordered exhumation later confirmed homicide – a bullet entering from the waist and exiting the chest, along with broken ribs, head injuries and chemical burns on the face, findings corroborated by the Sindh Forensic Laboratory.
Since then, police have established a 24-hour temporary check post at the crime scene, expanded the investigation committee to nine members, and retrieved the victim’s mobile phone and smartwatch from the NCIA to be sent to the Lahore Forensic Lab after the family expressed reservations.
The victim’s father, Mir Hassan, has demanded suspension of senior officers, sought FIA assistance to obtain flight, train and bus travel records of those who left the city around the time of the murder.
Family’s counsel Jibran Nasir has raised objections over the composition of the probe team, demanding a transparent investigation focused on the living culprits and the motive.
