Mir Raza case: Judicial commission inspects crime scene, seeks more CCTV evidence

KARACHI: The judicial commission probing the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali on Monday inspected the site where his body was found and a nearby guest house, with its head Justice Omar Sial saying the visit had provided a better understanding of the case and that several aspects of the investigation had already become clear.

Speaking informally to the media after the visit, Justice Sial said he was satisfied with Monday’s inspection and noted that a large number of cameras had been installed around the area.

He said that the commission’s mandate was to identify mistakes and lapses in the police investigation and determine who was responsible for them.

“A lot had already emerged from the statements of witnesses, so today’s visit was useful,” Justice Sial said.

The commission inspected the nursery and the guest house as part of its examination of the locations linked to the case.

Justice Sial said he would now examine the CCTV material available to the commission and determine what further evidence could be obtained from it.

He also said that he would recommend that witness Ali Shaz be formally included in the investigation.

Justice Sial said that police force has capable officers and expressed hope that the matter would reach a conclusion soon.

The commission has previously raised serious questions over the handling and preservation of evidence, particularly CCTV footage from the area where Mir Raza’s body was recovered.

During earlier proceedings, the commission was told that dozens of cameras were installed around the area but investigators had initially obtained only a limited amount of footage.

Jibran Nasir, lawyer for Mir Raza’s family, said after Monday’s visit that there were 116 cameras in the area, while police had previously referred to only 67 cameras.

He said that there were also eight to nine cameras installed at the nearby mosque and argued that if a gunshot had been fired at the location, its sound could potentially have travelled as far as a nearby wedding hall.

Nasir said that the commission had stressed the need to learn from mistakes made during the initial investigation and move forward rather than engage in a blame game.

He said that the family wanted those responsible for Mir Raza’s death to be brought to justice and expressed hope that the commission’s recommendations would provide relief to the family.

“We hope the family will get justice,” Nasir said, adding that the commission’s recommendations should be made public immediately after the inquiry rather than being kept pending for months.

He said that the family remained dissatisfied with the police investigation and that many of its questions had yet to be answered.

Nasir also stressed that Monday’s activity was a commission visit and not a visit by the investigation team, saying the distinction was important in assessing the progress made by police.

Suicide or murder?

Justice Sial said that the police would have to establish the facts and determine whether Mir Raza had died by suicide or had been murdered.

“If it is suicide, the police will bring the reasons before the public. If it is murder, the police will arrest the accused,” he said.

However, he cautioned against reaching a premature conclusion.

“Declaring it suicide is the result of haste,” Justice Sial said, while adding that there was no need to question anyone’s intentions at this stage.

The issue of suicide had been one of the central controversies surrounding the case.

Mir Raza’s family has rejected the initial suggestion that he had taken his own life and maintained that he had been abducted and murdered.

A subsequent post-mortem examination reportedly found evidence inconsistent with suicide, while the judicial commission has itself questioned the handling of the initial medical examination and investigation.

The commission has previously been told that the later medical findings were not consistent with suicide.

Questions over initial investigation

The commission has repeatedly questioned the performance of the initial investigation team, particularly its handling of the crime scene, CCTV footage and other evidence.

During earlier proceedings, Justice Sial criticised investigators over the failure to promptly secure CCTV recordings from the area. Police had told the commission that they obtained only a limited number of recordings, while the family and its lawyer maintained that many more cameras were present around the scene.

The commission has also questioned investigators about the handling of Mir Raza’s mobile phone, smartwatch, firearm-related evidence and other material.

In one earlier hearing, the commission noted that the initial investigation had failed to adequately pursue CCTV footage from several streets surrounding the crime scene. Justice Sial also questioned why investigators had not immediately secured all available footage before it could be overwritten or lost.

The commission had earlier criticised the first investigation team over what it described as serious failures during the crucial initial days of the case. It also questioned the failure to properly preserve evidence at the crime scene.

Ali Shaz’s role

Justice Sial said he would recommend that witness Ali Shaz be included in the investigation.

The commission has previously questioned investigators over why Shaz’s statement was not recorded earlier despite his name emerging repeatedly during the inquiry.

Earlier proceedings also examined a voice note attributed to Shaz and material concerning allegations that Mir Raza had been under financial pressure.

The commission questioned investigators over how such material reached the media and whether all relevant witnesses had been properly questioned.

The commission has also scrutinised the role of police officers who dealt with the case during its initial stages and questioned whether the financial-pressure narrative was adequately supported by evidence.

Commission’s tenure extended

The Monday inspection came after the Sindh government extended the tenure of the one-member judicial commission until October 15 to enable Justice Sial to complete the inquiry and final report.

The commission’s original one-month term had expired on September 27.

The extension was sought as the inquiry continued to examine alleged lapses in the police investigation, discrepancies in the initial post-mortem examination and the handling of CCTV and other evidence.

The commission had resumed its work after the extension, with a meeting held on October 2 at Justice Sial’s chamber.

At that meeting, the commission summoned investigation officer DSP Siraj Lashari and a CPLC representative for further proceedings.

On Monday, instead of immediately recording the investigation officer’s statement, the commission first decided to inspect the crime scene and the guest house.

According to reports, DSP Siraj Lashari was directed to accompany Mir Raza’s family and their lawyer during the visit.

The commission also asked investigative journalists to brief it on suspicious vehicles allegedly linked to the case.

The journalists are expected to present their findings to the commission on Tuesday, while the statements of DSP Lashari and CPLC representative Kashif are scheduled for Wednesday, according to reports.

Family seeks answers

Jibran Nasir said that the family remained dissatisfied with the police investigation and that several fundamental questions had not been answered.

He questioned why investigators had failed to properly pursue evidence despite the presence of a large number of cameras in the area and why the family had not received satisfactory answers to its questions.

Nasir said that the family wanted the commission’s recommendations to be made public without delay.

Justice Sial, meanwhile, urged the parties to avoid blaming one another and focus on establishing the facts.

He said the purpose of the commission was to identify investigative mistakes, determine responsibility and ensure that lessons were learnt from the case.

“If we learn from the mistakes and move forward, it will help prevent another Mir Raza from becoming a victim,” Nasir said.

Mir Raza Ali, a 25-year-old businessman and IBA graduate, went missing in Karachi on July 28.

His body was found the following day in Gulistan-e-Jauhar with a gunshot wound.

His family’s insistence that he had been abducted and murdered led to a second post-mortem and subsequently to the formation of a judicial commission headed by Justice Omar Sial.