Acid traces found in Mir Raza Ali’s stomach, lungs show severe damage: sources

KARACHI: Evidence of acid has been found in deceased businessman Mir Raza Ali’s stomach, while severe acid-related damage was detected in his lungs, sources said on Monday.

According to sources, traces of acid were also found on Ali’s hands and feet, while his shirt reportedly carried traces of acid and another person’s sweat.

Sources said police had sealed a guesthouse near the scene after it was deemed suspicious and detained six people working there.

The detention of the six individuals took the total number of people held in connection with the case to 21, including Ali’s friends and business partners.

Statements of the detained individuals have also been recorded, sources said.

The revelations emerged a day after Ali’s body was exhumed and reburied following a second post-mortem examination conducted by a medical board.

The initial medical report, a copy of which is available with Geo News, reportedly provided answers to all 14 points raised during the examination by police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed.

According to sources, the report revealed that Ali sustained a gunshot wound from the rear, while marks of violence were found across his body.

Ali’s ribs were found to be fractured, while multiple injury marks were identified on his head and face.

The body of Ali, an IBA graduate, was found in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area last month, a day after he went missing on July 28.

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His father later alleged that the young businessman had been murdered, rejecting speculation that his son had died by suicide.

Judicial inquiry deferred

Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar said the decision to establish a judicial commission to investigate the Mir Raza case had been deferred at the request of his parents.

In a statement, Lanjar said Karachi Mayor had spoken to the deceased businessman’s mother, adding that the government had initially decided to pursue a judicial inquiry to ensure transparency and reassure the family.

He said the family expressed confidence in the newly formed investigation team following its appointment.

“The same investigation team will now investigate the matter,” Lanjar said.

The minister added that the decision to establish a judicial commission had been temporarily deferred at the parents’ request.

A day earlier, the home minister had announced that a judicial commission headed by high court judges would be constituted to investigate the alleged murder of the young businessman.

Speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan, he said a meeting had been held with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah regarding the case, during which the decision to constitute a judicial commission was taken.

Family opposes judicial commission

Meanwhile, Ali’s parents declined the proposal for a judicial commission and asked authorities to allow the police investigation to continue.

Speaking to Geo News, the family’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said the parents had formally informed the Karachi mayor, Sindh interior minister and additional inspector general of their decision.

According to Nasir, the parents said the police investigation team should be allowed to carry out its work in accordance with the law.

The lawyer said the parents had conveyed their position to the authorities in writing.

“For now, there is no need for a judicial commission in the case,” he said.

Sharjeel Memon moves NCCIA over allegations

Separately, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon approached the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over what he described as false, fabricated and malicious allegations circulating on social media linking him and his son, Rawal Memon, to the alleged murder of Ali.

A formal written complaint was submitted to the deputy director of the NCCIA Karachi Zone on August 9 through his lawyer, Advocate Syeda Malaika Naqvi.

The complaint was filed against certain social media accounts allegedly involved in harassment, creating and disseminating false and malicious content and damaging the reputation of Memon and his son.

Rawal is currently in London on holiday. He told Geo News that he was shocked by what he described as false allegations linking him and his father to the incident.

He said those responsible for spreading the allegations should be brought to justice, adding that they did not know the identities of the individuals operating various social media accounts, pages and groups.

The complaint said that social media material alleged that a guesthouse in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, where Ali was allegedly tortured and killed, was owned by Memon and that Rawal left for London immediately after the incident and subsequently moved around with a bodyguard.

The complaint also alleged that the social media content sought to create an impression that the medical board related to the case had been changed “overnight”.

It further alleged that Memon and his political party had been accused of protecting those allegedly involved in the incident and obstructing the police investigation.