Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed has identified 14 major shortcomings in the postmortem examination of murdered businessman Mir Raza Ali, raising serious questions about the forensic investigation, and recommending that his body be exhumed to address the unresolved issues.
In her letter to the District East police chief, Dr Summaiya highlighted significant deficiencies in the autopsy conducted by Medico-Legal Officer (MLO) Dr Osama Sheikh.
She said that neither was the body’s x-ray carried out nor the hands were swabbed for gunshot residue, while the blackening, as mentioned in the description of the entry wound, was also not swabbed for chemical analysis. The scalp was not removed for examining the skull, and the skull and the neck were not opened for internal examination, she added.
She also said that for fire arm wounds’ measurements, neither were the scales used nor the wounds photographed, while the position of the entry and exit wounds as documented by the MLO have not been explained.
As per the bony landmarks and possible fractures, the size of the entry wound is documented as significantly larger than the exit wound, which needs to be properly corroborated and re-evaluated, she added.
The surgeon said the direction of the fibres of the tear on the clothes has not been mentioned, while the trajectory/path of the bullet within the body has not been explained.
No forensically accurate pictures of the injuries are available, the extent and nature of decomposition of different parts of the body has not been accurately explained, and despite the features being unrecognisable, no DNA sample has been collected for positive identification, she added.
She stressed that the postmortem examination raises more questions when compared to the answers that it is required to offer. She said she has repeatedly reached out to the relevant top brass of the Sindh police via group and private WhatsApp messages, but no response has been received.
Due to this case being of a very sensitive nature, it is pertinent that all aspects are rightfully addressed and logically answered for a justified conclusion of the case, while it is recommended that if the above-mentioned queries need to be answered, exhumation is advisable, she concluded.
