LAHORE: A prime suspect in Ameer Balaj murder case, Khwaja Tareef alias Teefi Butt, was allegedly shot dead by the firing of his own accomplices during an encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) near the Sindh-Punjab border in Rahim Yar Khan district early Saturday.

The killing of Teefi Butt is being described by many in the crime world as the end of a three-decade era of gang warfare in Lahore, which had claimed a series of killings in the provincial capital. There were also unconfirmed reports that another underworld figure, Khwaja Aqeel alias Gogi Butt, had been taken into custody.

According to reports, Teefi Butt was taken into custody by the CCD’s Extradition Cell when he landed at Karachi’s Quaid-i-Azam International Airport on Friday night. Arrested through Interpol, he was being transported to Lahore in CCD custody.

The CCD claimed that a police team had departed by road with the suspect. As the team reached Dawood Shaheed Chowk, on the outskirts of Rahim Yar Khan, in the early hours of Saturday, seven to eight unknown armed men arrived in two vehicles and attacked the CCD convoy.

The attackers opened indiscriminate fire, injuring the van driver, Constable Noor Ali, in an apparent attempt to free Teefi Butt. Other policemen took cover behind the vehicles and escaped unhurt.

The attackers reportedly succeeded in freeing the suspect and escaped in their vehicles. The CCD said it immediately alerted local police via the 15 helpline.

“At around 5am, the Rahim Yar Khan CCD team spotted two suspicious vehicles and tried to intercept them,” the department stated, adding that a heavy exchange of gunfire ensued between the CCD teams and the assailants, lasting 20 to 25 minutes.

When the firing stopped, a seriously injured person was found at the scene, later identified as Khwaja Tareef alias Teefi Butt. Another police constable was also injured during the crossfire. According to police, the body of Teefi Butt has been shifted to the Rahim Yar Khan hospital for an autopsy.

CCD officials said police teams were pursuing those behind the killing of Teefi Butt and injuries to two constables.

Later, the Rahim Yar Khan district police registered a case against the unidentified attackers on the complaint of CCD DSP Model Town, Lahore.

‘Death of brother a gift’

While speaking to media persons on Saturday, Mian Azhar Gulshan, the elder brother of Teefi Butt, described the killing of his sibling as a “gift” from former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz.

“I believe Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz have given me a gift in the form of my younger brother’s death,” he said.

He lamented that he had been waiting since morning, but the senior police officials had not handed over his brother’s body to him for the funeral and burial. He alleged the police officers had made the handing over of the body conditional upon his recording a video and a written statement. “In these statements, they wanted me to give an assurance that I would not take any legal action over my brother’s death,” he said.

A few weeks ago Mr Gulshan’s alleged audio clip surfaced, in which he had expressed fears about his brother’s killing in a fake encounter. In the clip, he said police insiders told him the CCD was seeking custody of Teefi Butt for this very reason.

Lahore’s underworld

Teefi Butt and his close relative Gogi Butt were among Lahore’s most influential underworld figures, who had managed to survive during the large-scale police encounters in 1997 and 2008.

With the death of Teefi Butt — an important member of the Butt family, underworld circles believe that peace may return to Lahore, as the new generation of these two notorious figures had already disowned their elders’ criminal activities.

His death is also being seen as a setback to a mafia in Lahore involved in land grabbing, kidnapping for ransom, contract killings, extortion, and informal dispute settlements.

A senior police officer said the seeds of violence in Lahore’s underworld were sown decades ago, leading to long-standing enmities among influential families, traders, and businessmen.He said the conflicts arose from property and financial disputes, while political patronage undermined law enforcement.

He said the Tipu family had been targeted for over 30 years, losing several members, including Balaj’s father Arif Tipu in 2010 and grandfather Billa Truckanwala in 1994. Another prominent figure, Bhae Pehalwan, also became a casualty of the feud. The Tipu family ran the transport business, while the Butts dealt in trade and property.

The feud reignited in 2024 after Ameer Balaj’s murder and the subsequent killing of Teefi Butt’s brother-in-law, Javed Butt.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025