A sessions court in Lahore has dismissed the bail plea of Khawaja Aqeel alias Gogi Butt, the prime suspect in the Ameer Balaj murder case, due to his non-appearance before the court.
The case has gained renewed attention following the death of Gogi’s cousin and co-accused, Khawaja Tareef Gulshan alias Teefi Butt, who was killed in a police encounter last week.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Syed Najaf Haider Kazmi, hearing the case on Monday, noted, "Despite repeated summons, neither the accused nor his counsel appeared before the court, even though the interim bail had expired."
The Crime Control Department (CCD) Investigating Officer, Muhammad Latif, was present during the proceedings.
Read More: Gangster slain a day after extradition from Dubai
In the previous hearing on October 8, the court had extended Gogi Butt’s interim bail until October 13 and directed all parties to present their arguments without fail at the next hearing.
Balaj, owner of a goods transport network and son of the late Arif Ameer alias Tipu Truckanwala, was shot dead during a wedding ceremony in Lahore’s Chung area in February 2024.
Tipu was murdered in a gun attack at Lahore Airport in 2010. Both killings are believed to be linked to the long-running feud between the Butt and Truckanwala gangs.
How was Teefi Butt killed?
According to the CCD, a gun battle broke out between police and Teefi Butt’s accomplices within the jurisdiction of Kot Sabzal police station in Rahim Yar Khan. Butt had been nominated in the murder case of his rival, Balaj, who was killed in 2024 during a wedding ceremony in a private housing society in Lahore.
A CCD statement detailed that Butt was repatriated from Dubai to Karachi on October 10. From Karachi airport, a CCD team took him into custody and was escorting him to Lahore by road.
In an FIR registered by the Punjab Police, CCD officials stated that at 3:25 am on October 11, while Butt was being transported to Lahore, two vehicles intercepted the police van and opened fire, injuring the driver, Noor Ali, who was shot in the arm.
The CCD reports that police retaliated, but the attackers managed to free Butt from custody. However, Rahim Yar Khan Police and CCD pursued them, leading to another gun battle at a different location.
In that exchange, the attackers abandoned critically injured Butt, who was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his wounds before reaching the hospital.
Teefi Butt’s extradition from Dubai
While Gogi Butt had managed to secure interim bail earlier, Teefi fled to Dubai, where he was declared a proclaimed offender and wanted under Interpol red notices. After months of diplomatic coordination, a CCD special team travelled to Dubai last month to secure his extradition.
According to sources, Teefi attempted to delay the process by initiating a financial dispute in Dubai, but Pakistani prosecutors resolved the legal obstacles. Dubai authorities subsequently approved his extradition, and Teefi was handed over to Pakistani officials.
Punjab Police sources stated that Teefi was considered a symbol of terror in Lahore, with multiple serious criminal cases registered against him, including the Balaj murder case.
Despite being 70 years old with a 35-year criminal career, he had never been arrested, largely due to political protection and collusion between police and gangsters.
The Lahore gang war dates back to the early 1990s when Billa Truckanwala, the grandfather of Balaj, dominated the city. His main rivals were the Butt gang of Gawalmandi. Billa gained control of the Lorry Adda (truck stand) and loading operations, starting his own goods transport business and earning the title “Billa Truckanwala.”
Meanwhile, the Butt gang sought to expand its control over Lahore through land grabbing, extortion, and intimidation. They also tried to establish dominance around Data Darbar and old Lahore, areas already under Billa Truckanwala’s influence. Both gangs recruited smaller fugitive criminals under their protection, strengthening their networks.
In 1994, Billa Truckanwala was murdered by two of his own associates, Shafiq and Hanif. Teefi Butt gave refuge to both killers and absorbed them into his gang, confirming suspicions that he had orchestrated Billa’s murder.
After Billa’s death, his son Arif Ameer took over and was known as Tipu Truckanwala. Under Tipu’s leadership, the gang grew stronger, and the transport business expanded further. Soon after, Hanif and Shafiq were arrested and later killed in a police encounter, allegedly on Tipu Truckanwala’s orders.
In 2003, Tipu was attacked outside a Lahore court, where five of his associates were killed and he was injured. The attack was blamed on Teefi and Gogi Butt. After the attack, Tipu moved his family to Dubai, distancing them from the criminal world. His three sons and a daughter continued their education, while Tipu frequently travelled between Dubai and Pakistan to manage his business and gang network.
In 2010, upon returning to Lahore from Dubai, Tipu was assassinated in the airport parking area by a waiting gunman. This marked the rise of the third generation of the Truckanwala gang. Tipu’s eldest son, Balaj, who had been studying in Dubai and had stayed away from the underworld, took over leadership after his father’s death.
On February 18, 2024, Balaj was shot dead during a wedding ceremony in Lahore. The attacker, posing as a photographer, was a servant of Teefi Butt and was also killed on the spot when Balaj’s guards returned fire.
Balaj’s death, his two brothers chose to leave the criminal world, effectively ending the activities of the Truckanwala gang. Today, all major figures of the three-decade-long Lahore gang war are dead, except Gogi Butt.
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