A 25-year-old businessman who went missing from Karachi’s Ferozabad area has been found dead in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, with police saying he was tortured, shot and his body partially burned in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

The victim, identified as Mir Raza Ali, was a resident of PECHS Society and owned a business in Bahadurabad.

According to police, his body was recovered near Shahi Qila Ground in Block 1 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar after authorities received information about a corpse lying in the area.

Rescue officials said Mir Raza Ali had been subjected to severe torture before being shot dead.

Police added that the body bore bullet wounds and burn marks at multiple places, suggesting the perpetrators attempted to set it on fire to conceal evidence.

Investigators believe the body was several days old.

According to the first information report (FIR), registered at Ferozabad police station on the complaint of the victim’s father, Mir Hussain Ali, Mir Raza Ali had returned home from his shop in Bahadurabad two nights earlier.

His father told police that shortly after arriving home, Mir Raza Ali booked an online taxi and left, saying he would return within 10 minutes.

When he failed to return, family members repeatedly tried calling him but found his mobile phone switched off.

After an unsuccessful search, they approached police and registered an abduction case.

The discovery of the body has turned the suspected abduction into a murder investigation.

Police said investigators were collecting evidence and examining all possible motives, including personal enmity, ransom and other criminal angles.

Authorities said it was too early to determine the motive behind the killing, adding that further details would emerge as the investigation progresses.