Karachi court gives new investigator 10 days to report on Mir Raza murder case

A Karachi judicial magistrate has given the newly appointed investigating officer 10 days to submit a progress report in the Mir Raza murder case.

DSP Fareed Ahmed Khan sought 14 days on Wednesday, saying he needed more time to review the case record and complete the probe.

What did the court decide in the Mir Raza murder case?

The court granted Khan 10 days, instead of the 14 he requested, to submit his report. Khan told the magistrate he had obtained more than 1,100 pages of case records and was examining them. A joint investigation team (JIT) appointed him as the new investigation officer.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Khan appeared before the Judicial Magistrate (East) on Wednesday to make the request. The appointment comes amid judicial scrutiny of the investigation.

Why was the JIT head issued a show-cause notice?

On November 2, a judicial magistrate issued a show-cause notice to DIG Irfan Baloch, who heads the JIT, after police failed to submit the final charge sheet. Baloch has been directed to respond by November 10.

The Sindh Home Department formed the JIT under Baloch on the recommendation of a single-member judicial commission headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial. The team was tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding Raza’s death and examining possible negligence in the handling of the case.

Two earlier high-level investigation teams had failed to identify those responsible for the killing or establish the circumstances in which his body was found.

What happened to Mir Raza?

Raza, a 25-year-old businessman, went missing on July 28 after leaving his home in Karachi’s PECHS neighborhood. His body was recovered the following day from bushes in the city’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, bearing a gunshot wound.

Police registered the case at Ferozabad police station under Sections 365, 302 and 201 of the Pakistan Penal Code. These deal with kidnapping or abduction, murder and causing the disappearance of evidence, respectively.