Khawaja Tareef alias Teefi Butt, the prime suspect in the alleged murder related to a gang rivalry of Ameer Balaj Tipu, was killed in an alleged police encounter in Rahim Yar Khan a day after his extradition from Dubai.
According to the Punjab Crime Control Department (CCD), Butt had landed at Karachi airport on Friday following his arrest in Dubai with Interpol's assistance.
According to officials, a CCD team took custody of him and was transporting him by road to Lahore for interrogation in connection with the murder that had taken place in February last year. In the early hours of Saturday, assailants intercepted the convoy near Sanjarpur in Rahim Yar Khan district and opened fire on it, apparently in an attempt to free the suspect.
During an ensuing firefight, a CCD officer suffered bullet injuries and was shifted to a nearby hospital.
The assailants allegedly succeeded in freeing Teefi Butt from custody before fleeing. Local police and additional CCD units were mobilised after the incident and two suspicious vehicles were spotted at around 5:00am.
Another gunbattle ensued, lasting about 25 minutes and resulting in Butt being critically injured and another police official also suffering injuries.
Teefi Butt succumbed to his wounds en route to a local hospital. Officials claimed the deceased had been fatally wounded by gunfire from his accomplices during the attempted escape.
Later in the day, the police raided properties in Lahore linked to Khawaja Aqeel, alias Gogi Butt, Teefi's co-accused in the Balaj murder case who is on interim bail.
In another development, panic gripped the Gowalmandi area after unidentified assailants opened fire near a former residence of Gogi Butt, hours after the death of his cousin Teefi Butt.
Reportedly, two unidentified men on a motorcycle went to the former house of Khawaja Aqeel in the old city area and resorted to firing before fleeing the scene. Surveillance camera footage being examined by investigators showed one of the attackers carrying an automatic rifle.
Law enforcement officials found several spent bullet casings from the site, which were sent for forensic examination. "The shell casings have been taken into custody and will be examined by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency to determine the type of weapon used," the police said.
"Regardless of the background or associations of individuals, taking up arms in public is a serious offence. The suspects will be traced and arrested soon," a senior police officer said.
CCD officials stated that several teams from local police and the department in Rahim Yar Khan were pursuing those involved in the ambush. Ameer Balaj had been gunned down during a wedding in Lahore's Chung area.
Tareef Butt had also been accused of murdering Arif Amir alias Tipu Truckanwala at Lahore airport in 2010.
A 35-year-old rivalry
The muder case involved central figures in a longstanding rivalry between Lahore's crime syndicates rooted in the city's old quarters.
The feud reportedly began with the murder in 1994 of Ameerud Din alias Billa Truckanwala, grandfather of Balaj, outside his home. The Truckanwala family accused the Butt brothers of harbouring and protecting hardened criminals, later known as the 'Top Ten' gang, which included notorious suspects like Hamayun Gujjar, Bhola Suniyara, Khalid Chitta and Mobeen Butt.
According to sources, the gang included fugitive proclaimed offenders involved in heinous offences from various districts of Punjab who had fled to the tribal region and set up a hideout in Jamrud, where Punjab Police could not operate due to issues related to jurisdiction.
The gang planned and executed criminal activities like extortion, ransom and murders from the hideout. Top Ten was a feared name in Punjab in the 1990s and early 2000s in Punjab and the Butt brothers had been accused of patronising the gang.
It was accused of orchestrating several high-profile attacks.
In 1996, members of the gang allegedly attacked Tahir Prince, an opponent of Gogi Butt, during a religious gathering, resulting in the death of over a dozen passers-by.
The gang was also accused of murdering Arshad Amin Chaudhry, a student leader and aide to the then chief minister.
In 2003, the gang allegedly attacked Arif Ameer Tipu, father of Balaj, killing him and five other people.
The escalating violence continued with Balaj Tipu's murder. Raids to arrest the co-accused in the case appear linked to the assailants involved in the death of the detained suspect.
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