Ameer Balaj murder case: Prime suspect 'killed' by accomplices

LAHORE: The prime suspect in the Ameer Balaj Tipu murder case has been killed by his own accomplices in Lahore on Friday, ARY News reported citing police.

The prime suspect, Ahsan Shah, was being transported to Lahore’s Shadbagh area for evidence recovery by the CIA. “Ahsan Shah’s brother, Ali Raza, and unidentified accomplices opened fire on the police convoy,” the police added.

According to police, Ahsan Shah was hit by bullets fired by his associates and was being taken to the hospital in critical condition but he succumbed to injuries.

Ameer Balaj Tipu, son of Arif Ameeir alias Tipu Truckanwala (goods transport network), was gunned down in what police described as a targeted attack near Lahore’s Thokar Niaz Beg neighborhood on February 19.

According to police, the incident occurred during a wedding ceremony in a residential society near Thokar Niaz Beg as an armed assailant opened fire on Balaj Tipu, who recently joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), killing him on the spot.

Two other individuals sustained bullet wounds during the gunfire, as confirmed by the police. Meanwhile, the police said the suspect was also killed in retaliatory firing by Tipu’s gunmen.

The police said they are diligently examining the circumstances leading to the attack and the possible motives behind it.

Balaj Tipu was the son of Arif Amir – alias Tipu Truckanwala – who was also shot dead in the parking lot of the Allama Iqbal airport in 2010.