NCCIA has obtained six months of Binance cryptocurrency data linked to murdered Karachi businessman Mir Raza Ali as investigators seek to decode his digital financial footprint before his death.
By Imran Malik | National Affairs & Crime Desk | MediaBites.com.pk
Pakistan’s most talked-about murder mystery just entered its most technically complex phase.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has obtained six months of Binance and cryptocurrency transaction data linked to Mir Raza Ali — the 25-year-old IBA graduate and businessman whose bullet-riddled body was found in bushes near Shahi Qila Ground in Karachi on July 29, a day after he went missing.
The data has been shared with both the investigation committee and the judicial commission overseeing the case. Police have asked NCCIA’s technical and coding experts to analyse the records and explain the cryptocurrency transactions in simple terms — specifically how many transactions were made each day during the six-month period.
The Bitcoin Trail — What Investigators Are Looking For
The Binance data was reportedly provided in a format similar to call detail records, with a soft copy already handed to relevant authorities.
Investigators hope the cryptocurrency trail will reveal financial patterns, transaction volumes, and potential connections to individuals or entities that may shed light on what happened to Raza in the hours before his disappearance on July 28.
The NCCIA is expected to submit its analysis to police shortly.
The Case So Far — Murder Not Suicide
Mir Raza Ali was an IBA graduate and young businessman who went missing on July 28. His body, found with multiple bullet wounds, was initially treated as a disappearance case before police converted it to murder following a second post-mortem examination.
Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code — murder — was added to the FIR. A new investigation team was formed. A judicial commission was established after concerns arose over the handling of the initial investigation.
Raza’s family has consistently maintained he was murdered. His father categorically rejected any suggestion of suicide.
The Digital Evidence Puzzle
The investigation has produced a frustrating pattern of promising leads that have not yet delivered a breakthrough.
Raza’s iPhone remains locked. The Punjab Forensic Science Agency failed to access it and informed the investigation committee in writing. The iPhone is expected to return to the committee.
CTD Sindh successfully unlocked Raza’s Apple Watch and recovered screenshots, messages, and transaction-related information — but investigators later said the recovered material was not significant enough to resolve the case.
CCTV footage and forensic reports have also been examined. No accused person has been identified. An interim report submitted to a Karachi court confirmed investigators had not yet made a breakthrough.
The Binance Data — Last Digital Hope?
The six months of cryptocurrency records may represent the most significant untapped digital evidence remaining in the case.
If the NCCIA’s analysis reveals unusual transaction patterns, large transfers, or connections to specific wallets or individuals in the days immediately before Raza’s disappearance, it could provide the investigative thread that has so far eluded authorities.
But investigators are cautious. Cryptocurrency records alone cannot establish what happened. They must be compared against all other available evidence before any conclusions can be drawn.
The Bitcoin trail is being followed. Where it leads is the question Pakistan is waiting to answer.
