Key suspect in gang murder arrested

Getaway vehicles recovered, investigators focus on links to prime suspect

LAHORE:

The Organized Crime Unit (OCU) claimed to have apprehended a key suspect involved in the murder of Javed Butt, brother-in-law of notorious criminal Teefi Butt.

Aamir Hafeez, a close associate of Ameer Muasab, is believed to have played a critical role in the murder plot.

Police said after the fatal shooting, the assailants abandoned their getaway vehicles—a motorcycle and an auto-rickshaw—in the parking lot of Mayo Hospital.

The OCU confirmed that Hafeez was responsible for removing these vehicles shortly after the crime. His arrest was made based on information provided by the apprehended shooters, Azhar and Ilyas, who are now in custody. The OCU has since recovered both vehicles from Hafeez's possession.

This arrest comes as part of a broader investigation into the high-profile murder. Authorities have formed a panel of officers, including two Superintendents of Police (SPs) and two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), to ensure a thorough and unbiased inquiry. The panel is led by SP Shehzad Rafiq Awan, SP Rana Zahid, DSP Iftikhar Rasool Bajwa and DSP Ijaz Ahmed Dhilon, under the supervision of DIG Investigation Zeeshan Asghar.

The investigation has gained urgency following the chilling confessions of the shooters, who revealed they were contracted by Ameer Muasab, son of Tipu Truckanwala, to carry out the murder. The shooters were reportedly promised Rs500,000 and two valuable properties in exchange for the hit, further illustrating the calculated nature of the crime.

Investigators also uncovered that Muasab fled the country just six days before Javed Butt's murder, suggesting the killing was premeditated.

Despite leaving Pakistan, Muasab allegedly remained in contact with the shooters during the operation. His connection to the crime was established through Arif, a former associate, who facilitated the meeting between Muasab and the shooters.

Arif, however, remains at large. The murder of Javed Butt is part of an ongoing 30-year feud between the Butt and Truckanwala families, a rivalry that escalated earlier this year with the killing of Ameer Balaj, Tipu Truckanwala's son, at a wedding in Lahore.

The cycle of violence continued with the ambush of Butt near the Muslim Town underpass, where he was killed instantly.