The medico-legal report on the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali has raised fresh questions, while investigators’ failure to collect several key forensic samples from the body has further complicated the case.
According to sources, crucial forensic evidence—including gunshot residue (GSR) samples from the deceased’s hands and skin swabs—was not collected by the police Crime Scene Unit during the initial investigation. The absence of these examinations has made it more difficult for investigators to determine whether Mir Raza Ali died by homicide or suicide.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father, who has repeatedly questioned the police investigation, has now also challenged the findings of the medico-legal report. He has alleged that important observations, including signs of torture and burn injuries, were either overlooked or not reflected in the report.
The growing controversy over both the investigation and the medical findings has fuelled speculation that investigators may consider exhuming Mir Raza Ali’s body for a second postmortem examination to address the outstanding forensic questions and clarify the exact circumstances surrounding his death.
However, police officials have not yet made any formal decision regarding exhumation, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Mir Raza Ali’s father, Hussain Raza, said that his son was murdered and rejected any suggestion that he had taken his own life. He alleged that his son’s face, hands and other parts of the body had been deliberately burned to destroy fingerprints and that the victim had been shot from behind.
He questioned why the medico-legal report only referred to the gunshot injury and did not mention any alleged torture or burn marks. “If my son was tortured, why has it not been reflected in the medical report?” he asked.
Hussain Raza further questioned the timeline of the case, saying his son went missing on July 28 while his body was recovered on July 29. “Where was he during those 24 hours?” he asked. He also cited the statement of a taxi driver, who allegedly told investigators that Mir Raza appeared happy and was listening to music while travelling.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the investigation, the victim’s father said police continued to claim progress but had failed to answer the key questions: who killed Mir Raza, why he was killed and who the person seen in the CCTV footage near the body was.
Police officials, however, said the widely discussed CCTV footage does not show anyone dumping the body. According to investigators, the footage merely captures a motorcyclist passing near the spot where the body was found. They added that another video showed a man believed to be a drug addict and garbage collector, walking near the body, but the footage did not show him picking up the pistol recovered from the scene.
Investigators suspect that an unidentified person may have removed the weapon from near the body before police arrived.
According to medico-legal sources, the postmortem examination estimated that the body was approximately 24 to 36 hours old at the time of examination. The examination reportedly found a small bullet entry wound on the victim’s back and a larger exit wound on the chest, indicating that the bullet entered from the back and exited through the front.
The report further noted that the body had decomposed significantly, with swelling, damaged skin and severe facial disfigurement. Medico-legal sources said the exact cause of the facial damage could only have been determined through a detailed examination of the head. They also noted suspicious injury marks on the victim’s right hand and beneath the chin.
Meanwhile, police said investigators had examined the victim’s bank accounts, mobile phone and data recovered from his smartwatch. Before leaving home, Mir Raza had transferred a small amount of money online to his parents, while investigators found no significant funds in his other bank accounts.
According to sources, investigators also recovered evidence of conversations with an individual regarding financial dealings involving millions of rupees, during which the victim had reportedly sought more time. Police also found that Mir Raza had requested a loan of Rs30 million from one of his friends, but the request was declined.
Since the body was recovered, several CCTV clips and competing claims have surfaced regarding the circumstances of the case. While police have previously explored the possibility of suicide as one line of investigation, the victim’s father has urged senior police officers to order an impartial and comprehensive inquiry.
Investigating officials said the family maintains that the victim’s body bore signs of torture and burn injuries. They added that if the family formally requests another medical examination or review, it will be considered in accordance with legal procedures.
Police have included several friends of the deceased and individuals involved in financial transactions with him in the investigation. However, no arrests have been announced, and investigators say they are continuing to examine all available evidence before reaching a final conclusion.
Commenting on the medico-legal report of Mir Raza Ali during Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath on Tuesday, Police Surgeon Karachi Dr Summaiya Syed said the postmortem findings had raised several questions and that some of the observations recorded in the report did not appear to correspond with the available photographs.
“It is rare for an entry wound to be larger than an exit wound on the body. The findings documented by the doctor do not seem to match the photographs I have reviewed. That is where my concerns lie,” she said.
She explained that the key issue was the trajectory of the bullet — the path it takes after entering the body until it exits.
“The wound being described as the entry wound, the path the bullet is said to have travelled through the body and the wound identified as the exit wound do not appear to correspond with one another,” she said.
Dr Syed added that from a scientific perspective, it was possible for a bullet to enter through the back and exit from the front. However, she stressed that she was speaking on the basis of the available records because she had not personally examined the body.
“I did not examine the body myself, so I can only make certain assumptions. However, I have reviewed both the postmortem report and the photographs, and based on those, I can say that the written findings do not appear to match what is visible in the images,” she said.
She noted that in the overwhelming majority of firearm cases, the entry wound is smaller than the exit wound, as the bullet generally causes greater tissue damage when it exits the body.
Referring to the possibility of suicide, Dr Syed said that in most self-inflicted gunshot cases, gunshot residue (GSR) is usually found on the deceased’s hands. “Unfortunately, neither Crime Scene Unit, nor our team carried out a gunshot residue test in this case. As I have said, the postmortem report is raising more questions than it answers,” she remarked.
Dr Syed said that at present, the medical report had complicated the investigation rather than clarified it. She added that a high-level meeting with police investigators was scheduled for Wednesday to review the medical findings in detail and determine the future direction of the investigation.
When The News asked her if she thought it may become necessary to exhume the body and conduct a second postmortem examination, she replied, “If we want to answer the questions raised so far.”
