How Leicestershire Police built murder case against TikTok star Mahek Bukhari and her mum

Leicestershire Police have revealed how they found the people responsible for the deaths of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin.

A collision on the A46 in Leicestershire on 11 February 2022 quickly turned into a double murder investigation.

The investigation involved recovering more than 200 hours of footage from more than 40 locations and more than 300 statements taken.

How the investigation unfolded:

It was at around 1.30am on the morning of Friday 11 February 2022 that police were informed of a car on fire next to a tree on the central reservation of the A46 near Six Hills, Leicestershire.

At the time, the person who was reporting the collision was unable to determine the make of the car or if anyone was inside.

When the fire was put out, officers devastatingly found two bodies.

The bodies were later identified as Saqib Hussain, a passenger in the vehicle and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin who had been driving.

As police carried out enquiries into the collision, it quickly became apparent that the deaths of the two men was not a tragic accident.

The police now needed to find who was responsible for Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin's deaths.

The collision was immediately linked to a 999 call which had been made by Mr Hussain in the lead up to the crash in which he distressingly told the operator that him and his friend were being followed by two vehicles, that there were people with balaclavas on, that they were trying to block him in, ram him off the road and that they were trying to kill him.

The call cut out as the car crashed.

In respecting the wishes of both families, the audio of this 999 call has not been released.

As a murder investigation was launched, it was established that Mr Hussain had been in a relationship with Ansreen Bukhari – one of the eight defendants – for around three years.

Ansreen’s daughter Mahek Bukhari – a second defendant – was aware of the relationship.

Enquiries showed that Ansreen Bukhari, who was married, had made a decision to end the relationship with Mr Hussain, but Mr Hussain could not accept this.

This led to him allegedly making threats to tell Ansreen Bukhari’s husband about the affair and to share sexual images and videos of Ansreen Bukhari.

The murder trial heard Ansreen Bukhari had threatened to report Mr Hussain to the police before confiding in Mahek about the messages received.

Messages found between Ansreen and Mahek, showed Mahek informed her mum: “I’ll get him jumped by guys and he won’t know what day it is”.

Enquiries found that over time, Ansreen Bukhari had offered to pay Mr Hussain money back which he had spent on her.

An arrangement was made for Mr Hussain to meet Ansreen and Mahek Bukhari at Tesco car park in Hamilton, Leicester, to get the money.

But unbeknown to Mr Hussain, it had been arranged for other people to be at the meeting too – these people included five other defendants Raees Jamal, Rekan Karwan, Sanaf Gulamustafa, Ameer Jamal and Natasha Akhtar.

This led to the defendants making their way to the car park during the early hours of 11 February last year in two vehicles – an Audi TT and a Seat Leon.

None of the defendants had any money with them at the time of meeting.

CCTV footage then showed Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin arrive at the car park at around 1.17am in a Skoda Fabia before immediately driving away again.

It is believed this is after they saw the other cars and people there.

Two minutes later, footage showed the Seat Leon and the Audi TT also leaving the car park.

It was following these calls that the call from Mr Hussain to 999 was then made.

Enquiries at the scene of the crash carried out by a forensic collision investigator established that the Skoda Fabia had hit the barrier of the central reservation before colliding with a tree.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the vehicle had split into two and the engine of the car had detached from the car.

Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin both died immediately from multiple injuries. Both men died prior to the fire taking hold.

The detailed police investigation that followed involved retrieving many hours of CCTV evidence from different locations to trace the movements of those involved.

A tracker fitted on the Audi TT, which was a hire car, showed it had reached speeds of up to 100mph during the chase.

The speed of the Skoda at the time of the collision was estimated at being in excess of 80mph.

The tracker on the Audi TT also showed heavy braking after the crash with its speed reduced to 62mph.

The Audi and Seat were found to have continued along the A46 before reaching a junction where two people were seen getting out a car, believed to be inspecting it for damage, before getting back in.

Both cars were then driven back past the collision site at which point the Skoda was ablaze.

No call was made from any of the defendants for help.

CCTV footage showed the defendants then walking in the Gipsy Lane area of Leicester during the early hours of the morning and as they made their way home.

Phone data showed calls being made and messages exchanged between the defendants throughout the morning.

As the evidence was established, the defendants were arrested on suspicion of the murder of Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin, with the first arrests happening hours after the collision.

• Bodycam footage shows the moment police attended the Bukhari family home hours after the crash that killed two men

Bodyworn footage at the time of Ansreen and Mahek Bukhari being arrested on the morning of Friday 11 February showed them lie to police about where they had been during the evening.

When officers attended the home address of Ansreen and Mahek Bukhari following the incident, Mahek told officers they had travelled to Nottingham during the evening.

Following seizure of the Seat Leon and Audi TT, the forensic collision investigator found damage to the front of the Seat Leon which was consistent with colliding with the rear of the Skoda Fabia.

A wheel brace was found in the boot of the Audi TT and a curved metal tool in the driver’s seat of the Seat Leon, which it’s believed were taken deliberately to the meeting arranged.

The defendants were all charged with two counts of murder. All denied being responsible leading to the trial being held at Leicester Crown Court.

The trial heard how all defendants did admit to being in the Seat Leon or the Audi TT at the time of the collision.

Raees Jamal admitted being the driver of the Seat Leon at the time of the vehicle colliding with the Skoda.

The trial concluded with verdicts being returned by the jury in court.

Ansreen Bukhari, 46, Mahek Bukhari, 24, Raees Jamal, 23, and Rekan Karwan, 29, were all found guilty of the murders of Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin.

• During a police interview, Mahek Bukhari, who was found guilty of murdering two men, recalls the high-speed car chase

Jailed for life

Mahek Bukhari was a Tik Tok influencer. She has been jailed for life.

Bukhari wiped away tears in the dock at Leicester Crown Court as she and her mother Ansreen Bukhari, 46, were sentenced.

The judge described the TikTok influencer as "self-obsessed" with an exaggerated sense of entitlement. He said: "You are oblivious to the damage you do."

Judge Timothy Spencer KC also described the case as "one of cold-blooded murder".

During sentencing, he said: "The prosecution categorised this as a story of love, obsession and extortion and in that they were right."

At Leicester Crown Court on Friday, Mahek Bukhari was handed a sentence of 31 years and eight months.

Her mother has also been jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years and nine months.

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