WEB DESK: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a police convoy near Rahim Yar Khan that was transporting Teefi Butt, the main suspect in the murder of Lahore gangster Ameer Balaj Tipu, according to police sources on Saturday.
Sources said Teefi Butt was being shifted from Karachi to Lahore when the attack took place. The assailants reportedly intercepted the convoy and opened fire, prompting a retaliatory response from the police.
Initial reports suggested that Butt may have been killed in the ambush; however, there has been no official confirmation of his death as yet. Khawaja Tarif Gulshan, known as Teefi Butt and the prime suspect in the Ameer Balaj murder case, had been extradited to Pakistan from Dubai earlier this week.
According to sources, Butt appeared before a Dubai court where he agreed to return and face charges in Lahore. He was handed over to Punjab Police officials and brought to Lahore. 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, leading to his eventual arrest and extradition.
In January 2015, The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol arrested Bilawal, the third suspect in the murder of Ameer Balaj, son of the late Lahore underworld figure Tipu Truckanwala. Balaj was shot dead on February 19, 2024, by a gunman disguised as a guest at a wedding in Lahore.
According to the FIA, Bilawal was detained in Oman following a Red Notice issued by Interpol and was later handed over to Punjab Police after his transfer to Lahore. He had fled abroad to avoid arrest and was wanted in a case registered at Chung Police Station.
By the time of Bilawal’s arrest, two other suspects, Haroon and Sohail Mehmood, had already been indicted, with witness testimonies scheduled for February 11. Three men, including Bilawal, Gogi Butt and Teefi Butt, had been declared absconders earlier in the investigation.