Post-mortem report of Karachi waffle chain owner raises ‘more questions than answers’

The Karachi police surgeon on Wednesday identified multiple serious deficiencies in the post-mortem report of waffle chain owner Mir Raza Ali Khan and forwarded a letter to the East senior superintendent of police, raising 14 objections to the report prepared on July 29.

The 25-year-old was allegedly kidnapped from Karachi's PECHS Society and found dead in the bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Jauhar last week, with police suspecting that he was tortured before being shot dead.

According to the letter written by Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, the body was not X-rayed, hand swabs were not collected for gunshot residue analysis and no chemical examination was conducted on gunpowder marks around the bullet entry wound.

Read: Karachi waffle chain owner found dead in Gulistan-e-Jauhar after alleged kidnapping

She further noted that no internal examination of the skull and neck was carried out, while the firearm injuries were neither scientifically measured nor photographed. The report also failed to provide a scientific description of the bullet entry and exit wounds.

The letter said the trajectory of the bullet through the body was not documented, forensic-standard photographs of the injuries were not available, and the nature and extent of decomposition in different parts of the body had not been adequately described. It further pointed out that despite the body not being positively identified, no DNA sample was obtained to establish the deceased's identity.

In the communication, Dr Syed maintained that the post-mortem report "raises more questions than answers". She stated that senior Sindh Police officials had been contacted several times through both group and private WhatsApp messages, but no response had been received.

Emphasising the need for a logical and scientific examination of all aspects of the sensitive case, she said that if the objections could not be satisfactorily addressed, exhumation of the body should be considered.

Also Read: CCTV maps Wafflix owner's final hours

The letter also stated that an explanation had been sought from Medico-Legal Officer Dr Usama Sheikh regarding the matter.

Police have not yet determined the circumstances surrounding the death and say they are investigating whether the case involves murder or suicide.