KARACHI: Jibran Nasir alleged Tuesday that SSP Dr Samiullah Soomro held the Mir Raza smartwatch without a seizure memo for several days during the initial murder investigation.
Nasir, who represents Ali’s family, said the device remained outside the formal chain of custody. He claimed that members of the new investigation team later contacted Soomro to obtain it for forensic examination.
Published accounts gave conflicting custody periods: first, about 10 days; then, eight days, according to Nasir.
Nasir demanded departmental action against officers at Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station. He accused them of ignoring evidence and compromising the crime scene.
The lawyer also questioned how the police handled Ali’s mobile phone and a digital video recorder. He asked investigators to establish whether officers prepared proper seizure and custody records.
Read: Mir Raza Ali Murder: Report Finds Acid, Two Bullet Holes
Nasir noted that the first information report includes Section 201 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The provision covers causing evidence of an offence to disappear.
Neither Soomro nor Sindh Police provided a response in the reports detailing Nasir’s latest allegations.
Earlier police briefings said the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh had unlocked the watch and recovered data. However, the new investigation team later identified the missing forensic examination.
Nasir also repeated allegations that abductors held and tortured Ali for about 12 hours. Laboratory findings had detected acid traces and gunshot residue on his shirt, along with sedatives in his blood.
Ali disappeared in Karachi, Sindh, on July 28. Police recovered the 25-year-old businessman’s body in Gulistan-e-Jauhar the following day.
Deputy Inspector General Aamir Farooqi leads the new investigation team. A Karachi court has ordered investigators to submit their report by August 15.
