SAQIB Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin were killed when their car was rammed off the road in August 2023.
Here we take a look at the sickening scheme that resulted in the fatal crash and why Mahek and Ansreen Bukhari wanted them dead — the case is featured in ITV’s TikTok: Murder Gone Viral.
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Car crash
In 2022, Saqib Hussain and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21 years old, were found dead in a burning car that crashed following a high-speed chase in Leicestershire.
Their bodies were so badly burnt that their families couldn’t identify them.
Saqib made a harrowing 999 call in the minutes leading up to the deadly crash.
Call for help
He said: “I’m being followed by two vehicles and they’re trying to block me in. I can’t get to a police station — I need help right now.
“There’s guys following me. They’ve got balaclavas on. They’re trying to ram me off the road. They’re trying to kill me — I’m going to die.”
After giving his name to the operator, Saqib pleaded for help: “They’re hitting into the back of the car very fast.
“Please, I’m begging you, I’m going to die.”
He could then be heard screaming before the call cut off.
Moments later, the Skoda Fabia smashed into a tree on a central reservation and Saqib and Mohammed were killed.
In August 2023, TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari and her mother Ansreen Bukhari, both from Stoke on Trent, were convicted of murder.
After Ansreen embarked on an ill-fated affair, the mum and daughter created a web of lies and deceit.
Murderous plot
Mahek and Ansreen Bukhari hatched a murderous plot to silence her young lover when Saqib Hussain threatened to expose the relationship to Ansreen’s husband.
Ansreen and then 18-year-old Saqib met on the live-streaming platform Azar.
During their three-year relationship, the pair regularly met up for sexual trysts in Birmingham and London hotels.
There’s guys following me. They’ve got balaclavas on. They’re trying to ram me off the road. They’re trying to kill me — I’m going to die
Saqib Hussain
When Ansreen tried to break off the relationship in January 2022, it was claimed that Saqib attempted to blackmail her.
Unless she returned the money he had spent on her throughout the affair, he allegedly threatened to send nude pictures of her to her son and husband.
The mum and daughter made plans to set a trap which ultimately led to the deaths of two people.
The pair arranged to meet Saqib in a supermarket car park in Leicester — he arrived at the meeting point along with his school friend Mohammed Hashim, who was driving.
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When he realised that the meeting was an ambush, Saqib made a call to the police just minutes before the fatal crash took place.
Saqib’s dad believes his son, who was around 18 when the affair started, was effectively “groomed” by mum-of-two Ansreen.
Sajad said: “It would have been his first serious relationship. I think he fully trusted her.
“He was so young. It might not have been illegal, but it was still grooming, I think. She is older than his own mother. She should have known better.”
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Where Mahek and Ansreen Bukhari are now
Mahek and Ansreen Bukhari denied two counts of murder and two counts of manslaughter.
Following a three-month trial at Leicester Crown Court in August 2023, the pair were found guilty of double murder.
Mahek was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 31 years and eight months.
Her mother, Ansreen, was also jailed for life and given a minimum term of 26 years and nine months.
Fellow defendants Rekan Karwan and Raees Jamal, who were recruited by the Bukharis and drove the pursuing cars, were also jailed for life, with a minimum of 26 years ten months, and 31 years respectively.
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Jamal was later convicted of rape in a separate case, so his minimum term has been increased to 36 years and 45 days.
Three other people were also found guilty of manslaughter.
Natasha Akhtar was jailed for 11 years and eight months, while Ameer Jamal, and Sanaf Gulamustafa, were jailed for 14 years and eight months and 14 years and nine months respectively.
One of the eight people charged was acquitted.
TikTok: Murder Gone Viral
A three-part true crime series called TikTok: Murder Gone Viral investigates murder cases that gained notoriety on the social media platform.
The episode delving into the disturbing case of Mahek and Ansreen Bukhari is being aired on Saturday, November 2, 2024
It will be broadcast on ITV at 10.55 pm — a repeat will be shown an hour later on ITV+1.
