KARACHI: The newly appointed investigating officer in the murder case of young businessman Mir Raza, Siraj Lashari, appeared before the court, which expressed concern over the slow pace of the investigation.
The complainant, Mir Hussain, also appeared in court accompanied by his lawyer, Jibran Nasir. Investigating Officer Siraj Lashari informed the court that the statement of Muhammad Ahmed had been recorded as a witness.
Muhammad Ahmed, Mir Raza’s business partner, told the court that he had appeared whenever police summoned him. He complained that he was sometimes kept waiting for as long as six hours and said he had appeared before police on August 13 after being summoned.
Addressing Ahmed, the court said he must appear whenever called by police and directed him not to change his residence or leave the city without informing authorities, as he was currently on interim bail.
The complainant’s lawyer argued that Ahmed’s statement had been recorded as that of a witness, but if his bail application was either rejected or accepted, he could potentially be treated as an accused.
Expressing concern over the slow progress of the investigation, the court said the victim’s father, family and people in the city were concerned and directed investigators to determine the facts surrounding the murder and bring them before the court.
Lashari told the court that he had taken charge of the investigation on August 13. He said investigators were questioning around 35 people who had been in contact with Mir Raza.
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He added that, based on call records, individuals who had been in contact with Mir Raza on the day of the incident had been specifically summoned for questioning.
The investigating officer said Muhammad Ahmed and Mir Raza had communicated with each other, but no suspect had so far been identified or declared an accused in the case.
The court extended Ahmed’s interim bail until August 24 and directed him to cooperate with the investigation.
Lashari requested additional time, saying the investigation was still incomplete. The court granted investigators until August 24 to complete the probe and ordered them to submit a report at the next hearing.
