Seeks criminal inquiry against three officers, questions handling of victim’s smartwatch, guesthouse
Lawyer and rights activist Jibran Nasir addresses a press conference on the Mir Raza case. — SCREENGRAB EXPRESS
Lawyer Jibran Nasir on Tuesday alleged serious negligence in the investigation into the murder of waffle chain owner Mir Raza, questioning the handling of key evidence and demanded a criminal inquiry against three police officers.
Raza, 25, was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS before his body was found in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar. Police had suspected that he had been tortured before being shot. The case had initially been surrounded by uncertainty over whether he had been murdered or had died by suicide. However, the findings of the second post-mortem had strengthened his family’s longstanding claim that he had been killed.
Speaking at a press conference tonight, Nasir said reports from the University of Karachi indicated Raza was administered a local anaesthetic and that the body was 20 to 22 hours old. Nasir alleged that the victim had remained in someone’s captivity for around 12 hours.
He further said that Mir Raza’s smartwatch was taken from his family on the third day after his death and remained with Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Samiullah Soomro for eight days. He described keeping the smartwatch for eight days as “criminal conduct”.
He also alleged that the guesthouse DVR was carried around by the SHO, while Raza’s mobile phone was sent to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
Nasir said SSP Zubair Nazir Sheikh was already facing a Rs50 million extortion case and alleged that SSP Investigation Usman Sadozai had been sent to Kashmir.
READ: Murder charge added to Mir Raza case after re-postmortem report
He described the investigation as an “extreme” case of negligence and carelessness and alleged that efforts were being made to protect the “brutal killers”.
Nasir demanded not only a departmental inquiry but also a criminal investigation against SSP Sheikh, SSP Soomro and Station House Officer Adeel Afzal.
He said the family was not speaking against the government but was only reminding it of its responsibility. He urged the Sindh government to focus on the investigation rather than react to his press conference.
Nasir alleged that the killers knew where cameras had not been installed and knew how to administer an injection and erase biometric records. He said Raza’s mobile phone might have also been hacked.
READ MORE: Sindh defers judicial probe into Mir Raza killing after family backs new police team
He said acid bottles had been found near the water board office and the police had been informed about them. He also called for the statements of the victim’s family to be recorded, saying he had repeatedly asked police officials to do so.
Meanwhile, Raza’s father, Mir Hassan, alleged that police pressured his son’s friends to portray his death as a suicide and warned them against meeting the family. He said his friends had made it clear that he could not have committed suicide.
He alleged the family had still not been provided the CCTV footage of the guesthouse despite asking for it repeatedly and that the killers had been given ample time to escape.
He reiterated that the family wanted the circumstances surrounding Raza’s death to be properly investigated.
