Fresh forensic report finds gunshot residue on Mir Raza’s hands, body

KARACHI: The investigation into the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali has taken a new turn after a chemical examination found gunshot residue (GSR) on both his hands, raising the possibility that he may have fired a weapon shortly before his death, according to investigators.

The findings emerged from a chemical examination of samples collected during the exhumation of Raza’s body.

Investigators said that the University of Karachi’s Chemical Examination Laboratory has completed its analysis and provided the police with its report.

According to investigative sources, 13 samples were collected during the exhumation for chemical examination.

Results of five samples have so far been received, while the remaining samples were rendered unusable because of decomposition of the body, the sources said.

“The presence of GSR on both hands is being treated as an important piece of forensic evidence,” investigators said adding that the finding indicates that Raza may have fired a firearm before his death.

However, officials have stressed that the GSR findings alone do not establish the circumstances in which the shooting occurred or conclusively determine whether Raza fired at someone, fired in self-defence or was otherwise handling a firearm.

Investigators are therefore examining the latest findings alongside the medico-legal examination, ballistic evidence, material recovered from the crime scene and other evidence before reaching a final conclusion.

GSR also detected on body

Sources said that GSR was also detected on Raza’s back and chest, with a higher concentration reportedly found on the back than on the chest.

Investigators said that this aspect of the chemical examination is being assessed alongside the trajectory of the bullet that killed him.

The finding is particularly significant because the preliminary medico-legal examination after the exhumation had indicated that the bullet entered from the rear of the body and exited towards the chest.

The latest chemical examination findings are therefore being compared with the reported bullet trajectory and other forensic evidence to establish the position of Raza, the shooter and the firearm at the time of the incident.

A preliminary post-mortem assessment had earlier raised questions over the trajectory and characteristics of the gunshot wound.

According to reports, the bullet was believed to have entered from the back and exited through the front of the body.

Self-defence angle under investigation

The discovery of GSR on both hands has prompted investigators to examine another possible sequence of events — that Raza may have perceived a threat and fired a weapon in self-defence before being shot.

This remains an investigative possibility rather than an established conclusion.

Police are expected to establish whether the GSR detected on Raza’s hands is consistent with him firing a firearm and, if so, whether the physical evidence can help determine the circumstances in which the weapon was discharged.

Investigators are also expected to compare the chemical findings with ballistic evidence, including the fired cartridge casing recovered from the crime scene.

Police had earlier reported recovering a spent cartridge casing from an area consistent with the projected trajectory of the bullet in relation to Raza’s position.

The recovery was described by investigators as potentially important for ballistic analysis and reconstruction of the sequence of events.

The whereabouts of the firearm believed to have been involved in the shooting and its connection with the recovered casing remain important elements of the investigation.

Why was the body exhumed?

The latest forensic development comes after serious questions were raised over the original medico-legal examination of Raza’s body.

Raza, a 25-year-old IBA graduate and owner of the Wafflix dessert business, went missing on July 28 after leaving his home in Karachi.

His body was recovered the following day from bushes near Shahi Qila in Gulistan-e-Jauhar with a gunshot wound.

His family maintained that he had been kidnapped, tortured and murdered, while investigators were also examining other possibilities surrounding his death.

The case took a major turn when Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed raised questions about aspects of the original post-mortem report.

She noted discrepancies involving the reported entry and exit wounds and bullet trajectory and pointed out that GSR samples from the hands had not been collected during the initial examination.

The controversy prompted the family to seek exhumation and a fresh medico-legal examination.

A Karachi court subsequently allowed the exhumation and directed the formation of a medico-legal board to conduct a fresh and comprehensive examination, including post-mortem, X-ray, DNA, forensic and chemical examinations.

13 samples collected during exhumation

Following the court’s order, investigators and medico-legal experts collected multiple samples from the body for further analysis.

Of the 13 samples sent for chemical examination, five have so far yielded results, according to investigative sources.

The remaining samples could not be analysed because of decomposition.

The detection of GSR on both hands is consequently being viewed as one of the most significant findings to emerge from the fresh examination because no such hand swabs were reportedly collected during the original post-mortem.

The finding does not, however, by itself establish that Raza was the person who fired the fatal shot.

GSR can form an important part of a firearm investigation, but police will have to correlate it with the ballistic, medico-legal, scene and other forensic evidence to establish the sequence of events.

The police investigation has already expanded beyond the initial circumstances surrounding the discovery of Raza’s body.

A special investigation team was constituted by Karachi police to probe the case, with SSP Special Investigation Unit Samiullah Soomro heading the team and SSP East and SP Investigation East-I serving as members.

Investigators have also been examining CCTV footage, digital evidence, the victim’s movements before his death and material recovered from the crime scene.

Police previously questioned the online taxi driver who had transported Raza after he left home.

Investigators have been trying to reconstruct his movements during the hours preceding his death.

The recovery of a spent cartridge casing from the crime scene has also added a new physical evidence trail to the investigation.

The latest GSR findings could now become central to the reconstruction of the shooting, particularly when compared with the location of the cartridge casing, bullet trajectory, wound characteristics and any evidence concerning the firearm.

Final conclusion yet to be reached

Despite the latest development, investigators have not yet reached a final conclusion about how Raza died.

The presence of GSR on both hands may indicate that he fired a weapon, but police will need to determine the circumstances in which the residue was deposited and whether the finding is consistent with the other forensic evidence.

Similarly, the detection of GSR on the back and chest, along with the reported bullet trajectory, will have to be examined by forensic and medico-legal experts before a definitive reconstruction can be made.

The investigation is therefore continuing on the basis of multiple strands of evidence rather than relying on any single forensic finding.

The latest report has nevertheless introduced a significant new dimension to a case that had already come under scrutiny because of questions surrounding the original post-mortem examination.

The police will now have to reconcile the new chemical examination results with the fresh medico-legal findings, ballistic evidence, CCTV footage and evidence recovered from the crime scene.

Only after that combined assessment, investigators said, will it be possible to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting and Raza’s death.