The second post-mortem examination of 25-year-old businessman Mir Raza Ali exposed multiple injuries and a congealed black substance found in his mouth and throat, according to Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed.
Raza, the proprietor of the eatery Wafflix, vanished on July 28. His body was discovered the following day near Shahi Qila Ground in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, bearing a gunshot wound.
The body was exhumed on Friday after the Sindh government reinstated the original medical board.
Dr. Summaiya Syed, who assessed the case, reported to *Dawn* that Mir Raza Ali suffered severe injuries to his head and face, including fractures to the nasal bone and skull, along with injuries to the right flank and feet.
The police surgeon noted the presence of a congealed black substance in the victim’s mouth and throat.
She further stated that DNA samples, chemical analysis samples, and gunshot residue samples had been sent to the laboratory.
The cause of death would remain undetermined until the laboratory results were received.
Lawyer Calls the Second Post-Mortem a Confirmation of Torture and Murder
Advocate Jibran Nasir, who represents the victim’s family, alleged on Saturday evening that Mir Raza Ali had been subjected to torture before his murder, which occurred shortly after the second post-mortem examination. He called for the complete replacement of the investigating team.
Nasir stated during a press briefing that the second post-mortem report answered fourteen questions and provided detailed accounts of the alleged injuries sustained by the victim before his death.
Nasir characterized the incident as murder resulting from torture, stating that it was the murder of a joyful, ambitious, and well-educated young man from Karachi.
Nasir noted that the victim had an injury on his chin, along with compressed eye sockets and traces of an unidentified foreign substance.
Nasir informed reporters that samples had been collected and sent to a laboratory to test for chemical traces.
Nasir further claimed that the victim suffered wounds to his forehead and a fractured nose, along with swelling and congealed blood around his lower jaw, which he said were consistent with a severe beating.
Nasir also alleged that a fracture above the victim’s ear indicated that he had been struck.
Nasir revealed that a congealed black substance was discovered in the victim’s tongue area, which is not naturally found in the human body, and that this substance had been taken and sent to a laboratory to determine what the victim was forced to ingest.
Nasir continued to explain that the victim’s throat was covered by the same black substance, and that the broken hyoid bone and muscle damage indicated that he had been strangled.
Nasir stated that, contradicting earlier reports, the bullet had entered the victim’s back and exited through his chest, fracturing his ribs.
Nasir confirmed with 110 percent certainty that the bullet entered the victim’s back and exited after breaking and fracturing his ribs.
The victim’s lawyer also criticized senior police officials, alleging that they are reluctant to investigate the case, instead choosing to humiliate, harass, and exhaust the family.
Nasir elaborated that the police had been searching through months-old recordings that were frustrating and humiliating to the victim’s parents, Mir Hussain and Maryam Hussain. He questioned whether the investigation was actually an attempt to harass them, as officials had repeatedly told them, “It was a suicide, accept it.” He added that the Additional Inspector General of Police had also made similar statements.
Nasir expressed his family’s complete lack of faith in the AIG and SSP investigation teams, demanding the replacement of all members, including senior officers.
Nasir warned that appointing officials from Jamshoro or Hyderabad would result in a formal court action.
Nasir asserted that senior officers had spent ten days with the parents and deliberately misled them into believing the death was a suicide.
Mir Hussain, the victim’s father, stated that he had maintained since July 30 that the death of his son was a brutal murder.
Mir Hussain recounted that he had shown the body to officials and declared it a murder, yet they persistently insisted it was a suicide. He noted that the SSP would sometimes speak with the family, while the IG claimed the matter was resolved, but the medical report contained discrepancies.
Nasir asked how police authorities could justify ignoring a post-mortem report when a senior official makes such a claim.
Mir Hussain stated that learning the truth about the alleged pre-mortem attack had brought peace to the family.
Mir Hussain reiterated that the family had maintained the murder was the truth from the very beginning, asking why the perpetrators were being hidden.
Nasir disclosed that the investigation officer was present during the exhumation and examination of the body, alongside all eight members of the medical team. The victim’s parents were nearby, and a judicial magistrate was also present.
Nasir also asserted that incomplete CCTV footage and messages taken out of context had been used to spread rumors and draw hasty conclusions regarding the death.
Despite the family’s strong conviction that the victim was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered, investigators are still pursuing the theory of suicide.
Nasir voiced his concern regarding the medical board controversy, noting that the government had not provided a clear explanation for the sudden reformation of the board on Friday.
Nasir stated that the family did not require character certificates for the board members.
Nasir expressed hope that the medical board’s report would arrive by Saturday evening, which would help clarify the details of the young businessman’s death.
Nasir stated that the medical board’s report would definitively clarify whether the incident was a murder or suicide, warning that the police would face even greater scrutiny once the truth was established.
He reiterated that the report would settle the matter of whether the death was self-inflicted or a murder.
Nasir also expressed surprise that the police had shared audio evidence with the media before disclosing it to the victim’s parents, who learned of it via television reports.
Nasir thanked the judiciary for its intervention, stating that the police had been unable to complete their work in eight to nine days, but managed to accomplish it in just two days following judicial intervention.
Separately, a PPP delegation consisting of MPAs Asif Moosa and Saima Agha visited the victim’s family to offer their condolences.
Moosa assured the bereaved family that Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and Sindh Inspector General Javed Alam Odho were overseeing the case.
He affirmed that efforts were being made to ensure a transparent inquiry and to deliver justice.
Saima Agha stated that the investigation would proceed once the post-mortem report was compiled, emphasizing that the culprits would be held accountable. She further noted that the PPP supported the victim’s family.
