Mir Raza murder probe continues as business partner gets interim bail

KARACHI: The investigation into the kidnapping and murder of young businessman Mir Raza Ali remained unresolved 16 days after his death, as a court granted his business partner Muhammad Ahmed interim pre-arrest bail while investigators continued to review evidence and revisit key points linked to the case.

The Additional District and Sessions Court East granted Ahmed interim bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000 and directed police not to arrest him until further orders.

The court also directed the applicant to cooperate with the police investigation.

Ahmed, who was identified as Mir Raza’s business partner and childhood friend, approached the court contending that police had repeatedly summoned and harassed him during the investigation.

His lawyer, Khalid Mumtaz, told the court that Ahmed was cooperating with the investigation but feared that police might arrest him in connection with the case.

According to the defence, Ahmed had been a childhood friend of Mir Raza and was involved in running branches of the business.

The lawyer said Ahmed operated the Hyderi branch, while Mir Raza ran the Bahadurabad branch.

A case against Ahmed has been registered at the Ferozabad Police Station, according to the court proceedings.

The development came as a special investigation team, headed by DIG Aamir Farooqi, continued efforts to piece together the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza’s disappearance and death.

The investigation team held its second meeting at the Ferozabad Police Station, with the investigating officer, members of the committee and representatives of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) technical support team in attendance.

During the meeting, investigators reviewed the evidence collected so far and recorded statements from police personnel who had reached the location after receiving information about the discovery of Mir Raza’s body.

Statements were recorded from the officers who first reached the scene and continued up to the level of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), as investigators sought to establish a detailed timeline of events after the body was discovered.

The former SHO of Gulistan-e-Jauhar Police Station and DSP Arshad Afridi were also summoned to record their statements.

The meeting continued for around four hours before the investigation team left for a visit to the crime scene.

During an informal conversation with journalists, DIG Aamir Farooqi said the investigation was under way and that the media would be informed of the facts once the probe progressed.

The team also inspected the crime scene and questioned a gardener working at a nearby nursery as investigators sought information about activity and movement in the area around the time of the incident.

The investigators also visited a “suspicious guesthouse” and examined its surroundings and location as part of their efforts to establish the sequence of events.

The team later reached the ‘kitchen’ at Mir Raza’s residence in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and collected additional information considered relevant to the investigation.

The latest investigation comes as police face growing questions over the circumstances surrounding the businessman’s kidnapping and killing and the evidence gathered during the initial stages of the case.

Investigators are now revisiting the available evidence, examining statements of police officials and witnesses and conducting fresh visits to locations considered relevant to the case.