Ride-hailing driver recounts Mir Raza's journey from home to Gulistan-e-Johar before murder

IG Sindh acknowledges lapses in investigation, says shortcomings including medico-legal process, will be addressed

KARACHI:

The ride-hailing driver who took Wafflix owner Mir Raza Ali from his home to Gulistan-e-Johar shortly before his murder recounted the journey said Ali personally directed him through a series of routes, from Khalid bin Waleed Road and Tariq Road to Bahadurabad, Stadium Road and Gulistan-e-Johar, before he was dropped off outside a bank, in a video message surfacing on Wednesday.

Ali, 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.

In a video statement, Driver Ehsanullah said he accepted the booking immediately and called Ali after reaching the pickup point. “Ali's ride came at 3:57pm. I accepted it,” Ehsanullah said. “I reached his location at 4:06pm and called him at 4:07pm. I told him, ‘Brother, I have arrived. I am at the location.’”

“He said, ‘Brother, wait for two minutes, I am coming,’” the driver recalled, adding that Ali arrived at around 4:09pm, after which he started the ride.

“When I reached, I told him I was at his location. He came and then we left the street and went towards Khalid bin Waleed Road,” Ehsanullah said.

He said he was about to take a left turn when Ali stopped him and directed him towards a one-way road leading to Imtiaz and then Tariq Road.

According to Ehsanullah, Ali then asked, "Is there a speaker or Bluetooth in the car?’ He connected his mobile and put on music."

Ehsanullah said he continued following the route on the navigation system while also taking directions from Ali. “I was following the location. He was telling me which way to go, and I was following him,” he said.

Read: DNA confirms recovered body is Mir Raza Ali

“From there we went to Tariq Road, then Bahadurabad, from there to Aga Khan Hospital, Stadium Road, the Millennium Wall, then Perfume Chowk,” he said.

The journey then continued towards Johar Mor, Mosamiyat and Samama, before reaching Continental Bakery.

He said Ali then instructed him to take a turn and continue ahead before asking him to stop, "He told me to take a cut and take him ahead,” Ehsanullah said. “I dropped him off in front of a bank,” he said.

Sindh IGP acknowledges 'lapses'

Separately, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Javed Alam Odho, speaking at a ceremony at the Sindh Bar Council, acknowledged lapses in the investigation into the killing of Karachi Ali, saying the case was now being examined in light of a new medico-legal report.

Odho said the killing was “tragic” and that a new investigation team had been directed to conduct a “transparent and independent” probe. “There were lapses in the Ali case,” he said, adding that the shortcomings included the medico-legal process and would be addressed.

Asked about the family's demand for action against the previous investigation team, Odho said any action would be taken in accordance with the law, but declined to comment further while the investigation was ongoing.

Odho said Ali's parents had expressed satisfaction with the ongoing investigation, adding that there had been no pressure and that previous concerns had stemmed from a misunderstanding.

The IG also said that 132,000 of Sindh Police's 160,000 personnel were currently performing their duties, while overall law and order in Karachi had improved and crime had declined by 14%.

Read More: Sindh defers judicial probe into Mir Raza killing after family backs new police team

He said police and lawyers were part of the same criminal justice system and urged the Sindh Bar Council to make greater use of its powers. “We have come here to resolve problems and find solutions,” Odho said, adding that 27,000 police personnel had been punished over the previous seven months.

He called for police and lawyers to work together to strengthen the system, saying disputes should be resolved through dialogue rather than protests outside police stations.

Investigation under renewed scrutiny

Ali's body, bearing a gunshot wound, was found at a hilly location in Gulistan-e-Johar at around 11am on July 29. The investigation later yielded a .30-bore pistol casing from the crime scene on August 6, although the previous investigation team could not recover the weapon.

Following reservations expressed by the victim's family over the investigation team and the emergence of evidence indicating that Ali had been shot from behind after his exhumation, the previous team was dissolved.

The family had repeatedly questioned the handling of the case and had maintained from the outset that Ali had been murdered.

Family lawyer Jibran Nasir had also alleged that investigators had pressured the family to accept a suicide narrative rather than pursuing those responsible for Ali's death. He had demanded a fresh and impartial investigation

A new investigation team was subsequently formed under DIG Investigation and Crime Amir Farooqi. The victim's family and their lawyer had expressed satisfaction with the formation of the new team.

Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate in the East district directed the police to submit a progress report in the murder case by August 15. The case came up for hearing before the Judicial Magistrate (East). The previous IO appeared before the court and sought more time to submit the report, saying the investigation was still under way. The IO informed the court that senior authorities had changed the officer handling the case and that the new investigation officer would appear at the next hearing.

The court accepted the request and directed that the report be submitted by August 15.