From Dubai to Death: The end of Lahore gangster Teefi Butt

A notorious Pakistani gangster was shot dead in the country’s south just a day after he was extradited from Dubai, police officials confirmed Saturday.

Khawaja Tareef Gulshan, better known by his alias Teefi Butt, was killed in what police described as a gun battle near Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab province early Saturday, according to the Crime Control Department (CCD).

Butt, a proclaimed offender and key suspect in the murder of Ameer Balaj — the son of slain Lahore gangster Tipu Truckanwala — had been arrested in Dubai and flown back to Pakistan on Oct. 10. He landed at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport that afternoon, where a police team took him into custody to transport him to Lahore by road.

According to the security officials when the convoy reached Sanjarpur, in Rahim Yar Khan district, it was ambushed by heavily armed men who opened fire on police vehicles. A CCD officer was seriously injured in the attack, and the assailants managed to free Butt from custody before fleeing the scene.

Security forces later launched an extensive search operation.

Around 5 a.m. local time, police intercepted two suspicious vehicles believed to be used by the attackers. A gunfight lasting nearly 25 minutes followed.

During the exchange, one suspect was critically injured and died on the way to the hospital — later identified as Teefi Butt. Another CCD officer was also wounded.

Police officials believe Butt may have been fatally struck by gunfire from his own accomplices during the chaos. His body was sent for post-mortem examination, and a formal inquiry into the encounter is underway.

Who was Teefi Butt?

Teefi Butt had long been a prominent figure in Lahore’s criminal underworld, accused in cases of extortion, land grabbing, targeted killings, and illegal arms possession.

He and another known gangster, Khawaja Aqeel alias Gogi Butt, were accused of orchestrating the 2024 murder of Ameer Balaj Tipu during a wedding ceremony in Lahore’s Chuhng area — a killing that reignited a decades-old feud between the Tipu Truckanwala and Butt families.

That rivalry, rooted in turf wars and power struggles, has defined Lahore’s underworld for more than three decades and remains one of Pakistan’s most enduring gang conflicts.