KARACHI: A bullet shell recovered in the Mir Raza case did not match a security guard’s pistol, investigators said Wednesday, adding a fresh forensic finding to the investigation into his death.
Officials said markings on the crime-scene shell differed from those on test shells fired from the guard’s pistol.
Lawyer Jibran Nasir, who represents Raza’s family, questioned how police handled the evidence. He said police claimed they recovered the shell eight days after the incident and alleged they did not disclose relevant findings promptly.
Mir Raza Ali, a 25-year-old businessman and Institute of Business Administration (IBA) graduate, went missing from Karachi on July 28. His body was found the following day in Gulistan-e-Jauhar with a gunshot wound.
A final report from the medical board that conducted a second postmortem after exhumation said its findings were inconsistent with suicide. The board concluded that Raza died after a gunshot entered through his back, perforated his chest and caused a cardiac rupture.
Read: Mir Raza Ali Inquiry Summons Friends, Partners, Police Officers
Officials also said examination of Raza’s smartwatch produced no evidence considered significant to the investigation.
Separately, the judicial commission headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial directed Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar to appear on September 10 after proceedings were interrupted during testimony by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has also obtained six months of Binance and cryptocurrency-related data linked to Raza, according to investigative sources. The information has been submitted to the commission, while police have asked the NCCIA to analyse the transaction history.