Mir Raza Probe Maps Final Hours as Karachi Investigation Deepens
KARACHI: Investigators probing the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali have reconstructed a detailed timeline of his final hours, tracing his financial dealings, phone contacts and movements before he reached the area where his body was later recovered. The latest development adds a new layer to a closely watched case that has already prompted fresh forensic work, changes to the investigation team and demands for greater transparency.
According to the investigation timeline reported on Saturday, Raza spent much of the evening before his death attempting to arrange investment and financing. Investigators traced a meeting on Sharea Faisal at about 5:54pm and said he remained in contact with several people over potential investments. At 7:05pm, he was informed that a Rs10 million bank loan applied for in his sister’s name had been approved after an earlier loan request had reportedly been rejected.
The reconstruction shows that another person contacted Raza later in the evening and declined an investment proposal. He subsequently met a friend for dinner at a restaurant at around 11:50pm while continuing efforts to secure funds. Daily Times reported that around midnight he also made an urgent request for a substantially larger loan, indicating that financial arrangements remained a major focus during the hours being examined by investigators.
The timeline then follows Raza’s movements into the early morning. Investigators said he returned home after 2am and disabled several social-media accounts. His fiancée reportedly attempted to reach him without receiving a response, while investigators also recorded financial transfers from his accounts to accounts belonging to his parents. He later went to his business premises, where the investigation says he obtained a security guard’s pistol, before returning home and subsequently leaving in a ride-hailing vehicle.
Authorities have also traced the final portion of that journey through digital and CCTV evidence. Investigators said Raza switched off and discarded his phone during the ride before reaching the area under investigation. CCTV footage reviewed by the probe team reportedly showed him walking alone near the location shortly afterward. The latest investigative account says no other individual has yet been conclusively linked to him at that point, and officials have not announced evidence identifying a suspect responsible for his death.
The findings do not, however, settle the wider questions surrounding the case. Raza, a 25-year-old businessman and IBA graduate, went missing in late July and was subsequently found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. A second post-mortem examination carried out after exhumation found that he had suffered a gunshot wound entering from the back along with multiple injuries to his head and face, findings that intensified scrutiny of the circumstances of his death and the initial handling of the case.
The investigation has since expanded to include additional officers, examination of digital evidence and repeated scrutiny of the crime scene. Raza’s mobile phone and smartwatch have been among the devices sought for forensic examination, while investigators have also reviewed chemical analysis, CCTV footage, communications and financial records. A Karachi court previously directed the investigation team to complete its probe by August 24, increasing pressure on authorities to consolidate the forensic and documentary evidence.
The case has become an important test of investigative transparency in Pakistan because of questions raised about early evidence handling and the conflicting indications that emerged during the inquiry. The Sindh government initially moved toward a judicial inquiry, while officials later said the step had been deferred following consultation with Raza’s parents. Investigators are expected to present further findings as forensic work and examination of the timeline continue, with authorities yet to publicly establish a definitive sequence explaining how Raza died or identify any person responsible.