Forensic report suggests Mir Raza Ali may have fired back; crime scene unit failed to reach site for over two hours
Mir Raza Ali, owner of the popular dessert shop Wafflix, whose body was found in Gulistan-e-Jauhar after he was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS. — SCREENGRAB/ Youtube
Crucial CCTV footage and a forensic report on Monday shed new light on the murder of Mir Raza Ali, the young owner of the popular dessert brand Wafflix, revealing the timeline of the discovery of his body, the arrival of police and an Edhi ambulance, and the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on his body.
Ali, 25, was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS before his body was found in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar on July 29. The case had initially been surrounded by uncertainty over whether he had been murdered or died by suicide. However, the findings of the second post-mortem consolidated his family’s longstanding claim that he had been murdered. The police probe is facing constant scrutiny by the public because of earlier lapses that were also admitted by the Sindh police chief.
According to the footage, a nursery employee was the first to spot Ali’s body at 11:52am on July 29 and alerted the police. Two motorcycle-riding policemen reached the scene first, followed by a police mobile.
Investigative sources said the head moharrir of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and other police officials were present at the scene, along with a policeman operating the search device. However, the former station house officer of Gulistan-e-Jauhar did not reach the scene despite being informed.
An Edhi ambulance arrived at 12:50pm and left with the body at 1:46pm. The Crime Scene Unit (CSU), however, had not reached the site even after more than two hours, meaning crime-scene evidence could not be collected, sources said.
The footage also showed that no dead body was present at the site a day earlier. On July 28, when Ali was reported missing, the nursery employee had watered the area but did not see anything unusual.
Investigators conducted geo-fencing around the spot where the body was found and reviewed additional CCTV footage, sources added.
Meanwhile, following the exhumation of Ali’s body, a medical board collected 13 samples and sent them to the University of Karachi’s Forensic and Industrial Laboratory for analysis. The laboratory has now submitted its report.
Read: Mir Raza murder probe widens as two more officers join
According to sources, results for four samples were available, while the remaining nine had deteriorated because of decomposition. The report confirmed the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on both hands, the waist and chest of the deceased.
Investigators believe the presence of GSR on both hands suggests that Ali may also have fired a pistol. They suspect he may have opened fire in self-defence after sensing a threat.
Further CCTV footage showed that Ali was walking past a wedding hall on July 28. At 4:37pm, a camera at the hall recorded the sound of a gunshot. Hearing the sound, the hall guard came outside and searched the surrounding area with a torch.
Seconds later, another CCTV camera captured Ali walking again, sources said.
