MYSTERY surrounds the murder of a mum and five young children killed in a horror house fire as they slept 12 years ago.
Dr Abdul Shakoor was the sole survivor of the devastating fire which tragically claimed the lives of six members of his family.
The Shakoor family were asleep in their terraced home in Harlow, Essex, when it erupted into flames in 2012.
On October 15, at 1.40am, a fire broke out in the downstairs of their property in Barn Mead.
It quickly ripped through the family home, engulfing it in flames and smoke – at the same time, a silver Ford Focus was set alight nearby.
Desperate to raise the alarm and get help for his family, Dr Shakoor leapt from an upstairs window.
But the fire took hold and his wife and children did not survive.
Dr Shakoor lost his wife, 44-year-old Dr Sabah Usmani, and five children – daughters Hira, 12, and Maheen, three, and sons Sohaib, 11, Muneeb, nine and Rayyan, six.
Essex Police launched a murder probe named Operation Shakespeare but no one has ever been brought to justice.
Now, on the 13th anniversary of the tragic incident, the force has launched a fresh plea for information, widening its appeal to areas nearby to Essex.
Speaking on that fatal night, Dr Shakoor said: “I just want answers. I just want to know why and for the wait to end.
“It’s never something that leaves your mind, it’s the first think I think about when I wake up.
“That night still haunts me and it always will. You just feel so helpless.”
Police are hoping to shed light on seven lines of enquiry – including a strange phonecall, a mystery cyclist and a missing laptop.
A black Toshiba Satellite was taken from the family home in a burglary but has never been found.
The force say its lead and bag were later recovered near to the scene between Whitewaits and St Michael’s Close.
In a strange twist, the lead had a shaver adaptor plug attached to it that did not belong to the family.
Officers are also hoping to track down a man on a bicycle seen in the area at the time of the fire.
He has been described as white and aged in his late teens or early 20s.
Mystery also surrounds the Ford Focus which was set alight in close proximity to Shakoor’s home.
What’s more is that in November 2012 – a month after the blaze – a person called Harlow police station from a phone box.
They left a message about the fire but they have since vanished without a trace.
That same month, a piece of paper about the murder investigation was left on a shelf in Boots in Harlow.
But the police have yet to reveal what was said on that phonecall or what was written on the note.
The huge investigation has seen more than 70 police officers focus on the incident and circumstances around it.
Around 500 people have come forward to give witness statements with almost 2,000 items examined.
7 chilling clues surround the horror blaze
Essex Police is hoping to shed light on seven lines of enquiry from that tragic night
- A white man aged in his late teens/early 20s on a bicycle seen in the area when the house and car were set alight. It is thought he could be a key witness.
- The family laptop, a black Toshiba Satellite, which was taken from the house in a burglary. This has not been located. Do you know where the laptop is or was?
- The laptop was fitted with a two-pin lead because it was bought in Saudi Arabia. The laptop bag and lead were later recovered near to the scene between Whitewaits and St Michael’s Close. Did you see these items being dumped or did you notice any suspicious activity in these areas at the time?
- Attached to the laptop lead was a shaver adapter plug. This did not belong to the Shakoor family which suggests someone tried to use the plug. Did you have a shaver plug missing from your home at the time?
- Do you know anything about the silver Ford Focus which was set alight?
- In November 2012 a person rang Harlow police station from a phone box and left a message about the fire. Are you that person? Please contact us.
- Also in November 2012 a piece of paper about the murder investigation was left on a shelf in Boots in Harlow. Did you leave that piece of paper? Please contact us.
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “This is still very much a live investigation and we remain committed to establishing who is responsible for this catastrophic loss of life.
“Dr Shakoor deserves answers, he deserves justice.
“Over the past 13 years we have regularly reviewed the evidence in this case to identify any new lines of enquiry.
“We remain confident that there are people out there who know what happened that night, who could come forward and should in all good conscience come forward.
“Dr Shakoor is living a life sentence of torment, losing his entire family in a single night, while the person responsible remains at large.
“We are as determined as we’ve ever been to change that.
“If you know something which could help us, please come forward.”
