KARACHI: Murtaza Razvi, senior assistant editor and head of Dawn’s magazines, was murdered in the city in the early hours of Thursday.

Police said his body was found in an art studio in Defence Housing Authority. His hands were tied and there were torture marks on his body. He had apparently been strangled to death.

The studio belonged to sculptor Shahid Rassam, a close friend of Mr Razvi.

Saddar division SP Dr Farrukh Ali quoted Mr Rassam as saying that Murtaza Razvi had asked him for keys to his studio.

“Earlier in the day, when Mr Rassam called him, Mr Razvi’s cellphone was switched off and he was not available in the office. He somehow managed to unlock the place to find Mr Razvi’s body. The police also found a rope which apparently was used for strangulation,” the SP said.

However, police said the real cause of his death would be established after the post-mortem.

His family has said that Mr Razvi did not have any personal enmity with anyone. They are expecting the police to carry out a thorough investigation to establish the motive behind the murder and apprehend his killer(s).

Murtaza Razvi, 47, was among the most highly qualified journalists in the field with over two decades of experience. He had worked in a number of well-known publications. He also held the post of Dawn’s resident editor in Lahore. Later on, he moved to Karachi to take over as magazine editor. He will be sorely missed by his colleagues in Dawn.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

His Namaz-i-Janaza will be held at Masjid Yasrab, DHA Phase-4, after Juma prayers.