Mir Raza murder case: NCCIA officer joins JIT to examine digital evidence

The investigation into the murder of 25-year-old trader Mir Raza Ali has taken a significant turn with the inclusion of a senior National

KARACHI:  The investigation into the murder of 25-year-old trader Mir Raza Ali has taken a significant turn with the inclusion of a senior National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) officer in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the case.

Deputy Director NCCIA Shahzad Akbar has been nominated as a JIT member to assist investigators in examining digital evidence, technical records and other aspects of the incident. The agency has informed the Sindh Home Department of the nomination through an official letter.

According to the information provided by relevant authorities, investigators will examine mobile phones, social media activity and cryptocurrency-related records to identify possible connections and reconstruct the sequence of events. Any conclusions regarding the involvement of suspects will depend on the evidence collected during the investigation.

Mir Raza’s death raised suspicions

Mir Raza Ali, a Karachi-based trader, went missing from his residence in the Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS) area on July 28. His body was recovered from an abandoned location in Gulistan-e-Johar the following day.

Police initially considered the possibility of suicide, but the deceased’s family rejected that explanation and demanded a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Following concerns raised by the family over the initial post-mortem examination and police investigation, a court allowed the exhumation of the body and a second post-mortem on August 6. After delays linked to disagreements over the formation of a medical board, the exhumation took place on August 8.

The subsequent post-mortem report reportedly documented details concerning a bullet wound and its trajectory through the body. The findings raised questions about the initial suicide theory, prompting the inclusion of murder provisions in the case.

Judicial Commission identifies investigation flaws

On August 24, the Sindh government established a Judicial Commission headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial to examine the circumstances of the death, the initial police investigation, medical findings and evidence-handling procedures.

On September 2, the Sindh High Court rejected the family’s application seeking an independent, multi-agency JIT, observing that the formation of such a team fell within the government’s authority.

The commission’s 62-page report became public on October 20. According to the report’s findings as described in the case details, the initial police investigation suffered from serious shortcomings, and Mir Raza’s death was classified as murder. The commission recommended further investigation through a JIT and called for scrutiny of possible negligence or evidence tampering.

New JIT tasked with examining evidence

Acting on the commission’s recommendations, the Sindh government formed a JIT on October 24 under DIG Irfan Baloch. The team includes representatives of the Rangers, federal intelligence agencies and the NCCIA.

The investigators are tasked with reviewing existing evidence, addressing unanswered questions from the initial investigation and examining all relevant aspects of the case.

With the NCCIA’s participation, digital records and technical evidence will receive additional scrutiny. Investigators will also need to establish whether any negligence occurred during evidence collection or preservation.

Several questions remain unresolved, including the identity of those responsible, the motive behind the killing and whether other individuals facilitated the crime.

The JIT’s findings are expected to play a crucial role in clarifying the circumstances of Mir Raza Ali’s death and determining whether further legal action is warranted. Responsibility for the crime, however, will ultimately be established through evidence and the legal process.