LAHORE, Feb 18: The city police claimed on Sunday to have arrested notorious extortionist and proclaimed offender Mobeen Butt who headed an organised gang.

The force recovered illegal weapons, three cell phones, 40 mobile SIMs and a motorcycle from the gangster who confessed to murdering four innocent people and extorting money on 30 different occasions.

Butt, who once headed a gang comprising Aslam Bassa, Khalid Chitta, Mooda Butt and Shakeela Butt, was wanted by the police in a number of cases of extortion, murder, dacoity, bounty killing, besides other crimes and the government had fixed head money of Rs700,000 on him.

Capital city police officer Malik Muhammad Iqbal informed the newsmen about the arrest at a news conference here.

However, it is learnt that some accomplices of Butt were also arrested from Multan.

The CCPO said 18 of his accomplices had already been arrested in different cases while a police team, comprising the Ravi Town SP and the Shafiqabad SPO, had arrested the ring-leader. Mr Iqbal said the accused was considered a symbol of terror in Lahore and many citizens avoided registration of cases against him.

The modus operandi of the accused was that he used to get cell phone numbers of the rich people, force them to pay extortion and manage firing outside their houses, shops and factories in first step.

He used to hold up the victims’ relatives or employees and as a last resort would directly kill the victim.

Butt started his criminal activities from Kasurpura (Shafiqabad) in 1999 when he committed first robbery at a house and was declared PO. He went on to form a gang that used to extort money from the dwellers of the Walled City and other parts of the city by giving them threatening calls.

Butt, Bassa and others at a later stage formed their separate gangs but remained in touch on strong footing. Butt shot dead four people and injured more than 10 who had refused to pay him money. His father, according to the CCPO, was also a criminal who used to sell narcotics in Shafiqabad.