mir razas father
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Mir Raza’s father seeks suspension of police off…

KARACHI: The father of slain businessman Mir Raza Ali has called for the suspension of Karachi East DIG Dr Farrukh Ali and other police officials, accusing them of delaying the investigation and allegedly concealing crucial evidence in his son’s murder case.

Speaking to reporters, Mir Hussain said the police had mishandled the investigation and urged authorities to take action against the Ferozabad SHO and other officers allegedly involved in the case. He claimed that officials had “played a game” with the grieving family.

Twenty-five-year-old Mir Raza Ali, an IBA graduate and businessman, went missing on July 28 and was found dead in Gulistan-e-Jauhar the following day. While the initial investigation considered suicide as a possibility, his family consistently maintained that he had been abducted, tortured and murdered.

The case took a new turn after a fresh post-mortem reportedly identified a gunshot wound to Ali’s back along with other injuries. A chemical examination also detected acid particles and gunshot-residue elements on his shirt, while police said sedatives were found in his blood and DNA testing matched his parents.

Meanwhile, the family has requested that Ali’s smartwatch be examined by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA), rather than the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Family lawyer Jibran Nasir expressed concern that the device had remained with a former investigation committee head for several days before being handed to the NCCIA, raising fears of possible tampering.

The newly formed investigation team, headed by DIG Amir Farooqi, has written to the NCCIA seeking forensic analysis of the smartwatch as well as information concerning Ali’s social media and other digital accounts.

Investigators have also revisited the crime scene, interviewed nursery staff and collected additional evidence. The team has been tasked with examining outstanding aspects of the case, including geofencing, mobile-data records and digital evidence.

Authorities have set August 15 as the deadline for submission of the investigation report. Meanwhile, a medico-legal officer who conducted the initial post-mortem was removed following an inquiry that identified serious lapses in the examination.

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