KARACHI: In a major crackdown aimed at unraveling the mystery surrounding the death of 25-year-old entrepreneur and IBA student Mir Raza Ali, Karachi Police conducted late-night raids across multiple areas, including Gulistan-e-Jauhar, shifting 18 individuals to police custody for questioning.
Police sources confirmed that all 18 individuals had been kept under covert surveillance since the outset of the investigation.
Investigation officers are currently recording individualized, separate statements from each suspect to cross-verify timelines and identify potential discrepancies.
Breakdown of Detained Individuals
According to investigative officials, the 18 individuals brought in represent key contacts and locations linked to Raza Ali’s final hours:
- Guest House Staff: 6 individuals affiliated with a local guest house in the area are among those taken into custody for questioning.
- Inner Circle: 5 close friends of the deceased have been brought in to record detailed statements regarding his personal life and final communications.
- Business Associate: Raza Ali’s primary business partner has also been summoned to the station to shed light on their shared commercial ventures and financial dealings.
Out of the individuals brought in, police have prioritized 13 key persons for intensive interrogation, with comprehensive, formal statements being recorded for 5 core individuals who held direct contact with the victim prior to his disappearance.
Case Background & Evolving Inquiry
The widening scope of the probe follows days of intense forensic and technical investigation:
- Disappearance & Discovery: Mir Raza Ali vanished in the early hours of July 28 after boarding an online ride-hailing taxi from his PECHS Block-2 residence at 4:09 a.m. His decomposed body—bearing a fatal point-blank gunshot wound to the chest—was discovered on July 29 in bushes near Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
- Financial Angle: Prior investigations established that Raza Ali was facing heavy losses amounting to millions of rupees tied to digital currency and cryptocurrency investments, leading to disputes with multiple investors.
- Forensic Anomalies: While an empty holster matching a .30-bore handgun was recovered near the site, search teams found zero spent casings at the scene. Meanwhile, investigators continue to analyze digital footprints, including the deliberate pre-death deactivation of his social media accounts and phone data logs.
Senior police officials maintained that the ongoing interrogations of the guest house staff, close friends, and business associates are expected to yield a decisive breakthrough in the high-profile case within the coming days.
