LAHORE: In a major development, a Lahore sessions court on Monday cancelled the interim bail of Aqeel alias Gogi Butt, a fugitive in the Ameer Balaj Tipu murder case.
Ameer Balaj Tipu, son of Tipu Truckanwala, was fatally shot in a targeted attack during a wedding ceremony in Lahore in 2024.
Balaj was murdered by a hitman named Muzaffar Hussain, who was subsequently killed on the spot by Balaj’s bodyguards.
Police had registered cases against Ahsan Shah, Teefi Butt and Gogi Butt in connection with the killing.
The court dismissed Gogi Butt’s interim bail due to non-prosecution. The FIR in the case had been registered at Lahore’s Chuhng Police Station.
The court had earlier granted interim bail to Gogi Butt until today, but he failed to appear before the court.
Two days earlier, Khawaja Tareef Gulshan alias Teefi Butt was killed in an alleged police encounter in Rahim Yar Khan.
According to police, Teefi Butt was being transferred to Lahore when his accomplices helped him escape custody in the Kot Sabzal area of Sadiqabad.
The Crime Control Department (CCD) said Teefi Butt was taken into custody at Karachi airport last night.
He was being transported to Lahore by road when the CCD team came under attack near Sanjarpur, Rahim Yar Khan. Armed assailants in two vehicles opened fire, injuring one officer, before overpowering the team, freeing the suspect, and fleeing the scene.
Around 5am, CCD teams intercepted two suspicious vehicles in a follow-up operation. A 25-minute exchange of fire ensued, after which one injured suspect died while being taken to hospital. The deceased was later identified as Khawaja Tareef Gulshan Butt, the CCD spokesperson said.
Teefi Butt, the prime suspect in the Ameer Balaj murder case, had been extradited to Pakistan from Dubai earlier this week.
He appeared before a Dubai court where he agreed to return to Pakistan to face charges in Lahore. He was later handed over to Punjab Police.
Earlier, Butt was reportedly arrested at a private gathering in Dubai after Interpol issued a Red Notice. Following Balaj’s killing, Butt had fled to the UK and later moved to Dubai after his visa expired, which eventually led to his arrest and extradition