ISLAMBAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol has arrested Bilawal, a key suspect in the murder of Amir Balaj Tipu, upon his arrival at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.
Bilawal, who had fled to Oman after the high-profile killing, was taken into custody immediately upon landing. The FIA had earlier issued red notices at the request of Punjab police, who had been actively seeking the accused for his role in the murder of Balaj Tipu during a wedding ceremony in February last year.
Amir Balaj Tipu, the son of slain underworld figure Tipu Trukkanwala, was shot dead by assailants at a wedding in the Chung area of Lahore. The brutal attack also left two guests injured. In a dramatic exchange of gunfire, Balaj’s armed guards killed the attacker on the spot.
Balaj was rushed to Jinnah Hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after. His murder marked a continuation of a grim family feud; his father Arif Amir, alias Tipu Trukkanwala, had been assassinated in 2010 at the same airport, and his grandfather had also met a similar fate years earlier.
The recent arrest of Bilawal is seen as a breakthrough in the case as authorities continue investigations into the deadly attack that shook Lahore’s underworld.
