Two men arrested at Manchester Airport after fleeing the country following drag race death

Two men who killed another man while taking part in a road race have finally been caught and jailed - after fleeing the country for nine months.

Osama Saeed and Asgar Taj went on the run partway through their trial for causing the death of Asad Rashid by dangerous driving.

The trio, along with Mohammad Zubair Chaudhry, had been taking part in a drag race on the A34, near Wilmslow, Cheshire, in September 2020 when they all crashed into a roundabout.

Rashid, who was on a motorcycle, was hit by one of the cars and died at the scene.

After fleeing abroad, Saeed and Taj subsequently pleaded guilty to the charge after dialling into the court from abroad.

But both failed to return to court for their sentencing, and were sentenced in their absence.

Saeed, 32, of Manningham, Bradford, was jailed for 12 years and Taj, 35, of Heather Grove, Bradford, were both finally re-arrested by police at Manchester Airport on 8 July after travelling to the UK on a flight from Abu Dhabi.

Chaudhry, 31 of Kingsway, Cheadle, who also pleaded guilty, is still on the run.

The moment the two men were arrested at Manchester Airport after returning to the UK on a flight from Abu Dhabi

During the trial, Manchester Minshull Street Court was told the four men travelled to Cheshire on 15 September 2020 to take part in a race.

Chaudry was driving an Audi R8, Saeed in an Audi R3, while Taj and Rashid were riding Suzuki motorbikes.

Video footage shows the group using the traffic lights as a starting flag, racing off as the lights changed, with the level of acceleration putting them out of sight within seconds.

As the group approached the Total Fitness roundabout, they were travelling too quickly and all four collided with the middle, narrowly missing other members of the public.

Chaudhry's Audi R8 hit first, with the impact tearing off the underside of the engine and sending it flying 135 metres further down the A34.

The two motorbikes and the Audi RS3 then hit the roundabout at about the same time, with Taj and Rashid both becoming unseated from their bikes.

Taj sustained a number of serious injuries including fracturing his right arm and fractures to his left foot.

Rashid was struck by the RS3 as it hit the central reservation, leaving him trapped him by the vehicle, he died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

Members of the public stopped to help the injured men and, the court was told, as one of them approached Taj as he lay on the roundabout, they noticed he was clearly deleting files from Instagram, before then deleting the app itself in an attempt to destroy evidence.

During the investigation by the Serious and Complex Collision Investigation Unit at Cheshire Police, officers found on the night of the collision Taj, Saeed and Rashid had all spoken with Chaudhury, discussing where to meet up and race.

Chaudhury suggested that roads in Cheshire would be good as the police did not know them, the court heard.

Chaudhury also had a number of "Trophy videos" on his phone showing him and others known to him driving at high speeds on roads across the country.

One video showed him driving at 139mph in a 40mph zone on the A34 Kingsway Grange, near to his home address, a built-up area with a school and lots of residential houses.

A further video was found showing Chaudhury driving at 192mph on a motorway, the video also showed him bragging with others while driving his Audi R8.

Chaudhry was sentenced to 10-years and seven months in prison, Saeed was jailed for 12 years and Taj was also sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

Cheshire Police released 'trophy footage' of the groups races, and footage of the devastating scene left by the crash in September 2020.

Following the sentencing Sergeant Andrew Dennison, of Cheshire police, said: "Driving is a privilege, not a right, and it comes with great responsibility to act within the rules laid down when you pass your test.

"The sad death of Asad Rashid that night shows the catastrophic consequences that will happen when these rules are ignored.

"Taj, Chaudhury and Saeed all came to Wilmslow with Rashid knowing they were coming to race on the roads around Cheshire.

"They drove in a manner that put everyone around them at great risk and the inevitable conclusion of this driving was a serious collision that claimed the life of Rashid.

"The knowledge of the group coming to race and the actions they undertook meant that they were all culpable in the death of Rashid and as a result are all guilty of causing his death by driving dangerously.

"As a result of the selfish and dangerous actions taken that night four families have been torn apart. Rashid is now dead, while Chaudhry, Saeed and Taj have all been handed significant prison sentences.

"None of the men have shown any remorse for their actions, and that fact that they failed to attend the hearing demonstrates a total lack of accountability.

"While Rashid was not wholly innocent, he did not deserve to die and if anything can be achieved from this case, I hope it acts as a warning to others and prevents any needless collisions like this from occurring again."