Police are investigating the killing of 25-year-old Karachi businessman Mir Ali Raza, whose body was found in Gulistan-e-Jauhar after he left home in the early hours. CCTV, phone records and staff statements are central to the inquiry.

KARACHI: Police are trying to piece together the final movements of 25-year-old businessman Mir Ali Raza after his body was recovered from bushes in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, days after he left his home saying he would return within 10 minutes.

An FIR lodged by his father at Ferozabad police station said Raza had come back to his house in his own car from his shop at Bahadurabad Chowrangi on the night of July 28, before heading out again in the early hours. His family told investigators they had no enmity with anyone.

CCTV footage reviewed by investigators shows a white vehicle arriving outside his house at about 4:09am. The footage shows Raza getting into the back seat before the vehicle drove away. Police later found his body in Block 1 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

What investigators have established

Police said Raza was subjected to torture and then shot once in the chest. Initial speculation that acid had been used was dismissed after doctors examined the body. Investigators said the condition of the remains was caused by decomposition and estimated the body had been lying there for more than 30 hours before it was recovered.

During the inquiry, police found that after leaving home, Raza had booked an online taxi and gone to the kitchen used for his dessert bar and restaurant in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. The driver told investigators he had dropped Raza there. Police believe the events leading to the alleged kidnapping and murder unfolded after he left that premises.

Investigators have also noted that the kitchen operated in a residential-style locality rather than a commercial area.

Digital trail under scrutiny

Police have yet to recover Raza’s mobile phone and are seeking technical support from the relevant telecom company to access his call data record and related information. Officers are also checking the phone numbers he had recently contacted.

His social media accounts were deactivated several hours before his body was found. Police are examining whether Raza shut them down himself or whether another person gained access through his phone.

Several people have been identified and are being questioned, but investigators have not announced a major breakthrough. Statements have been recorded from employees present at the kitchen that night as well as staff working at Raza’s two restaurants.

The inquiry has been slowed by the absence of a citywide Safe City surveillance network in the area. Police are relying mainly on privately installed cameras, many of which produced low-quality footage, while continuing to combine technical analysis with ground intelligence.