Ansreen Bukhari (left) and her daughter Mahek Bukhari wanted to silence Saqib Hussain who had threatened to reveal an affair he was having with the older woman, the trial heard. Photo / Leicestershire Police
Ansreen Bukhari (left) and her daughter Mahek Bukhari wanted to silence Saqib Hussain who had threatened to reveal an affair he was having with the older woman, the trial heard. Photo / Leicestershire Police
The family of a man murdered when his lover’s daughter arranged to have him rammed off the road in a high-speed car chase has said it will never have justice because his death has left it with a life sentence.
Saqib Hussain and his friend, Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, were both killed when their Skoda careered off the A46 dual carriageway near Leicester, smashing into a tree and bursting into flames in February last year.
In a harrowing 999 call made only moments before the crash, Hussain told police that balaclava-wearing assailants travelling in two cars were trying to ram him off the road.
Police later discovered that TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari, 24, and her mother Ansreen Bukhari, 46, had plotted the ambush when Hussain threatened to expose his long-running affair with the older woman.
Prosecutors described how Hussain was “lured” to a meeting with the Bukharis after his lover told him she was ending their affair and was prepared to give him back the £3,000 (NZ$6,300) he had spent on her during their time together.
He asked his friend Ijazuddin to give him a lift as he could not drive but as they travelled through Leicestershire they were chased by an Audi and a Seat containing a number of men.
Murder victims Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, known as Hashim, (left) and Saqib Hussain (right). Photo / Leicestershire Police
After hitting a tree at high speed their car split into two and the bodies of both men were discovered in the burnt-out wreckage.
Both Bukhari and her mother and fellow defendants Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal were found guilty of two counts of murder.
Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal and Sanaf Gulamustafa were cleared of murder but found guilty of two counts of manslaughter.
Mohammed Patel was found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.
Following the guilty verdicts, Hussain’s family paid tribute to him. It said: “Saqib was a much-loved young man. He was kind, compassionate, caring and sensible.
“My family has been shattered by this senseless act and we are still struggling to come to terms with the enormity of our loss. I do not feel that we have received justice as we have now got a life sentence.”
Natasha Akhtar, Sanaf Gulamustafa and Ameer Jamal (top) were convicted of manslaughter while Rekan Karwan and Raees Jamal (bottom), who were found guilty of murder. Photo / Leicestershire Police
‘Cheeky young man’
The family of his friend, Ijazuddin, who had only agreed to drive him on the night as a favour said: “Everyone who knew Hashim, loved him. His death is not just a massive loss to our family but also to our whole community.
“Hashim was a cheeky young man who was always smiling, a handsome man who was beautiful both on the inside and out. He would do anything for anyone, was very caring and had a very kind heart.
“Hashim would always put others first and wouldn’t hesitate to help others if they needed it. On that tragic day, he was simply helping his friend and this resulted in his death.”
Judge Timothy Spencer KC thanked the jury, made up of five men and seven women, for their “remarkable” service and excused them from jury duty for the next 30 years.
