Two suspects allegedly involved in the killing of three Lahore policemen were killed in an exchange of fire with law enforcement personnel in Muridke on Friday, police officials said.
The suspects were identified as father-son duo Fayyaz Butt and Rehan Butt. Police said they were killed during a joint operation involving Lahore police, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Sheikhupura police and the Elite Force following an hours-long pursuit from Lahore to Muridke.
According to police, the suspects hijacked a Lahore Waste Management Company vehicle at gunpoint and forced its driver to take them towards Muridke.
Police alleged that the suspects shot dead two policemen in Lahore’s Badami Bagh area and another at Yateem Khana Chowk on Multan Road on Thursday night. Three other policemen were also injured.
The deceased officials were identified as Sub-Inspector Adeel Ashiq and Constable Asad in the Badami Bagh attack. Police said the suspects later opened indiscriminate fire on officers deployed near the headquarters of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on Multan Road.
A senior official involved in the operation said a third suspect, identified as Tariq, managed to escape during the pursuit and was last traced to Bagh in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Punjab and AJK law enforcement agencies were attempting to locate and arrest him, the official said.
Police traced Fayyaz and Rehan to a seminary in Muridke but found no trace of them there. Investigators seized the seminary’s DVR for forensic examination after discovering that its surveillance cameras were not functioning.
The suspects were later traced to a forest near the River Ravi using thermal drones. Police said they moved into a densely populated area after realising they were being tracked.
According to officials, the suspects entered a house, took the occupants hostage and threatened to kill them. When police reached the location, the suspects allegedly opened fire, triggering an exchange in which both men were killed.
Police said Tariq had separated from the pair and fled towards AJK during the pursuit.
Officials said the attacks appeared to be linked to a possible revenge motive. Police alleged that Rehan’s brother, Faizan Butt, who was reportedly associated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had previously been killed in a CTD encounter involving SI Adeel.
Police further said Adeel had reported receiving death threats from Rehan in 2024. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered against Rehan at Shafiqabad police station in November 2024 over an alleged WhatsApp threat.
