Summary Karachi police chief says 78 statements have been recorded in Mir Raza case, but investigators have found no clue establishing a murder.
KARACHI (Web Desk) – Karachi Police Chief Azad Khan says 78 people have so far been questioned in the Mir Raza case, but no clue has emerged regarding the killing.
Addressing a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, the Karachi police chief said Mir Raza died on July 28, while his father reported the incident on July 29.
He said initial investigations found blood on grass, a flowerpot and an envelope filled with blood. Police also recovered a 30-bore pistol shell casing.
According to Azad Khan, the first investigation team was formed on August 1, followed by a second team on August 9.
Senator Qurrat-ul-Ain Marri asked whether Mir Raza had emptied his bank account before his death and transferred all the money to his parents. She also asked whether he had closed all his social media accounts himself and whether he normally travelled in his own car but booked an online ride on the day of the incident.
Azad Khan confirmed that all these details were correct. He added that Mir Raza had also taken a gun from home that day, while the medico-legal doctor who examined the case later made a statement to the media.
Police surgeon Dr Samia says she was threatened over Mir Raza case
Marri asked whether Dr Samia had made a media statement before giving her statement to police. Azad Khan replied that she had indeed spoken on television.
The Karachi police chief told the committee that Mir Raza's July 29 post-mortem report stated that the bullet entered from the front, while an August 8 report stated that it entered from the back and exited through the chest.
The chairperson of the Human Rights Committee said she hoped that no one was being protected in the case, adding that reports had surfaced on social media alleging that Mir Raza had been severely tortured.
Azad Khan said traces of hydrochloric acid were found on Mir Raza's shirt and signs of torture were also visible on his face.
He said Mir Raza left Bahadurabad at 3:42 p.m. on July 28 after taking a pistol from a security guard and returned home with the weapon at 3:52 p.m. He booked an online bike ride from his home at 3:57 p.m., leaving his car keys, watch, car and wallet behind.
According to the police chief, Mir Raza left home in a white vehicle at 4:09 p.m. and got off at Manzoor Street in Gulistan-e-Johar at 4:28 p.m. after paying the driver. He was seen heading towards Nursery at 4:38 p.m.
Azad Khan said Mir Raza's parents consider the incident a murder, therefore the case is being investigated as a murder.
The additional inspector general told the committee that Mir Raza suffered a loss of Rs45 million in July. Pistol residue was found on both his hands, while police have so far recorded statements from 78 people but found no clue pointing to a murder.
The committee chairperson said the Senate Human Rights Committee would hold a meeting in Karachi on September 24 and directed the investigation team to appear before the committee and brief members on the Mir Raza case.
Summary: Karachi police chief says 78 statements have been recorded in Mir Raza case, but investigators have found no clue establishing a murder.
