Fresh CCTV footage reveals businessman Mir Raza Ali’s final movements before murder

KARACHI: Fresh CCTV footage has emerged in the investigation into the murder of young businessman Mir Raza Ali, with police examining multiple recordings to reconstruct his final movements before he was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area.

Mir Raza, an IBA graduate, returned home from his shop on the night of July 28 before leaving again after telling his family he would be back within 10 minutes. His body was later recovered from bushes in Block 1 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

Investigators are reviewing footage from different locations to establish the sequence of events leading up to the killing.

One CCTV recording, captured between 10pm and 11pm, shows Mir Raza in his kitchen taking a pistol from a drawer, inspecting it and later placing it inside his car before leaving. Police believe he may have returned home afterwards.

Another CCTV recording, timestamped around 4:38am, shows Mir Raza walking alone near the crime scene. According to investigators, this is the last known footage of him before his death.

According to his family, Mir Raza left behind his smartwatch, wallet and house keys when he left home. They said he only carried his mobile phone and around Rs1,000 in cash before booking an online taxi.

Police have recovered his mobile phone nearly 200 yards from the crime scene, along with a pistol holster. Both items have been sent for forensic examination, while investigators are awaiting the forensic analysis of the mobile phone.

According to investigators, Mir Raza booked an online taxi at around 4:02am. The driver told police he dropped him on a deserted road near the rear of Block 1 in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

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Police believe Mir Raza may never have reached his cloud kitchen, which was located some distance from the drop-off point. Investigators found no evidence of his arrival there but collected several items from the premises as part of the investigation.

Authorities have not confirmed whether Mir Raza was carrying the pistol when he later boarded the taxi. While earlier CCTV footage shows him handling the weapon, the camera recording of him entering the vehicle is too distant to determine whether he was carrying it.

Police said they are continuing to examine CCTV footage, forensic evidence and other investigative leads to establish the circumstances surrounding the murder and identify those responsible.