WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has obtained six months of Binance and cryptocurrency transaction data linked to Mir Raza Ali, a 25-year-old businessman whose death is being investigated as a murder.
Sources said the data was collected as part of the ongoing investigation and has been shared with the investigation committee and judicial commission overseeing the case. Police have asked the NCCIA to examine the records and translate the technical information into a form investigators can easily understand.
The agency has technical and coding specialists who can analyze cryptocurrency records and identify transaction patterns. Investigators are particularly interested in determining how many cryptocurrency transactions were made each day during the six-month period and whether any activity could help establish a timeline surrounding Ali’s disappearance and death.
According to sources, the Binance information was provided in a format similar to call detail records. A soft copy of the data has already been handed over to the relevant authorities, while the NCCIA is expected to submit its detailed analysis to police soon.
Ali’s Death Under Judicial Review
Ali, an IBA graduate and young businessman, went missing on July 28. His bullet-riddled body was discovered the following day in bushes near Shahi Qila Ground.
The case initially concerned his disappearance, but police later registered it as a murder case after a second post-mortem examination. Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which relates to murder, was subsequently added to the first information report.
A new investigation team was formed after the case was converted into a murder probe. Ali’s family has consistently maintained that he was murdered, while his father rejected suggestions that his death may have been a suicide.
The investigation has since widened beyond conventional evidence to include digital records, forensic findings, CCTV footage and financial transactions. The NCCIA was brought in to help examine Ali’s digital footprint.
A judicial commission is also reviewing the case after concerns were raised about the handling of the investigation.
iPhone and Apple Watch Also Examined
Digital evidence has remained a major focus of the investigation. Authorities examined Ali’s iPhone and Apple Watch, with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh previously managing to unlock the smartwatch.
Investigators recovered screenshots, messages and transaction-related information from the Apple Watch. However, officials later determined that the material recovered from the device was not sufficiently significant to resolve the case.
The Punjab Forensic Science Agency was also asked to examine Ali’s devices but reportedly failed to gain access to his iPhone. The agency informed the investigation committee about the issue in writing.
The iPhone and Apple Watch are now expected to be returned to the investigation committee as the wider probe continues.
The newly obtained Binance records could provide investigators with another potential digital trail. Police hope the NCCIA’s analysis will establish the timing and frequency of Ali’s cryptocurrency activity and determine whether any transactions are relevant to the investigation.
However, cryptocurrency records alone are unlikely to establish how Ali died or who may have been responsible. Investigators will need to compare the transaction data with CCTV footage, forensic evidence, device records and other findings before reaching conclusions.
Police have yet to name an accused person in the case. An interim report submitted to a Karachi court reportedly stated that investigators had not yet made a breakthrough.