A social media influencer, Mahek Bukhari, 24, and her mother, Ansreen Bukhari, 46, from Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent have been found guilty of the murder of two men, Saqib Hussain and Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, who died when their car was deliberately rammed off the road near Leicester in February 2022.
The jury at Leicester Crown Court heard that Hussain had threatened to expose an affair he had with Ansreen by leaking a sex tape. The influencer, Mahek, who has a substantial following on TikTok, was accused of "setting a trap" for Hussain on the night of the incident.
During the three-month retrial, it was revealed that Hussain, originally from Banbury in Oxfordshire, had been "lured" into a meeting with the Bukharis under the pretext of receiving reimbursement for expenses he claimed to have incurred during the affair.
Instead, the car driven by Ijazuddin, who had accompanied Hussain to the meeting, in a Tesco car park in Hamilton, Leicester, was forcefully split in two and caught fire after colliding with a tree, leading to the fatal crash that claimed their lives.
Hussain and Ijazuddin Image Credit: Leicestershire Police
This incident occurred in the early hours of February 11, 2022, at the Six Hills junction on the A46, after the duo was ambushed and pursued by two cars following the meeting, the BBC reported.
The meeting included the presence of additional individuals, who Hussain was unaware of. Among these were five other defendants: Raees Jamal, Rekan Karwan, Sanaf Gulamustafa, Ameer Jamal, and Natasha Akhtar.
The pursuit of the victims was carried out by Karwan, 29 from Leicester, along with Jamal, 23 from Loughborough, who were operating the vehicles involved in the chase.
Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal, fellow defendants, were also found guilty of murder, while Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal, and Sanaf Gulamustafa were convicted of manslaughter.
Mohammed Patel, another co-accused, was acquitted of all charges.
A panicked 999 call made by Hussain moments before the crash revealed his distress and the imminent danger, he and Ijazuddin faced as their car was pursued and rammed off the road by balaclava-wearing assailants in two cars.
Following the verdicts, the families of the victims expressed their grief and devastation. Hussain's family described him as a "much-loved young man" known for his kindness and compassion while Ijazuddin's relatives remembered him as a caring and selfless individual whose life was tragically cut short.
Det Insp Mark Parish of Leicestershire Police characterised the attack as "callous and cold-blooded," emphasising that none of the defendants made any effort to help the victims or seek assistance after the crash.
The sentencing is scheduled for September 1.
Damian Talbot