GSR, CCTV offer new clues in Wafflix owner Mir Raza’s murder
Forensic report suggests Mir Raza Ali may have fired back; crime scene unit failed to reach site for over two hours
CCTV footage and a forensic report have provided new insights into the murder of Mir Raza Ali, the 25-year-old owner of the popular dessert brand Wafflix. Ali was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS before his body was discovered in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar on July 29. Initially, the case had raised questions about whether Ali had been murdered or died by suicide.
However, a second post-mortem confirmed his family's long-held belief that he had been murdered. The police investigation has been under scrutiny due to earlier lapses, which the Sindh police chief acknowledged.
CCTV footage shows that a nursery employee was the first to notice Ali's body at 11:52am on July 29 and alert the police. Two motorcycle-riding policemen were the first to arrive on the scene, followed by a police mobile. The head moharrir of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and other police officials were present, along with a policeman operating a search device. However, the former station house officer of Gulistan-e-Jauhar did not arrive despite being informed.
An Edhi ambulance arrived at 12:50pm and transported the body to the hospital at 1:46pm. The Crime Scene Unit (CSU) did not reach the scene until over two hours later, preventing the collection of crucial crime-scene evidence.
The footage also revealed that no dead body was present at the site the previous day, when Ali was reported missing. On July 28, when Ali went missing, the nursery employee watered the area but did not observe anything unusual. Investigators conducted a geo-fencing around the location where the body was found and reviewed additional CCTV footage.
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, which confirmed the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on both Ali's hands, waist, and chest. This suggests that Ali may have fired a pistol in self-defense after sensing a threat.
Written by urgent.news from The Express Tribune - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
