A 25-year-old entrepreneur who was allegedly kidnapped from Karachi’s PECHS area has been found dead in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, with police suspecting he was tortured before being shot.
The victim, Mir Raza Ali, son of Mir Hassan Ali, was a resident of PECHS Block 2 and owned the Wafflix dessert chain near Bahadurabad Chowrangi.
His body was discovered in bushes near Shadi Qila Wedding Hall in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 1 on Wednesday and was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination.
Police said the body appeared to have been lying at the scene for one to two days and bore burn marks, making identification difficult. The victim was eventually identified by his father through his clothing, while investigators also noted a mark on his back. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report is completed.
According to Station House Officer Kamran Qureshi, initial evidence suggests that Raza was tortured before being shot dead. Police are collecting CCTV footage from cameras installed around the wedding hall in an effort to identify those responsible.
A kidnapping case had already been registered at Ferozabad Police Station on Tuesday on the complaint of the victim’s father.
According to the first information report (FIR), Raza returned home from his shop during the night of July 27-28 and told his mother at around 4am that he was stepping outside for about 10 minutes. He never returned.
When his mother later tried to contact him, his mobile phone was switched off. After an unsuccessful search and a call to Madadgar 15, the family filed a kidnapping case against unidentified suspects.
The killing has sparked widespread grief on social media, with friends and acquaintances paying tribute to the young businessman while others criticised the deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi.