TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari guilty of murdering men in crash

Mahek Bukhari (left) and her mother Ansreen wanted to silence Saqib Hussain who had threatened to reveal an affair he was having with the older woman, the trial heard

A social media influencer and her mother have been found guilty of murdering two men who died when their car was rammed off the road.

Saqib Hussain and Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, died when the car "split in two" near Leicester in February 2022.

It happened after Mr Hussain threatened to reveal an affair he and Ansreen Bukhari had been having, jurors heard.

Mrs Bukhari, 46, and her influencer daughter Mahek Bukhari were convicted after 28 hours of deliberations.

The TikTok influencer, 24, and her mother, both from Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent, broke down in tears as the jury's verdicts were read out.

During the trial, the jury at Leicester Crown Court - which heard that Mr Hussain had threatened to use sexually explicit material to expose the long-running affair - listened to a panicked 999 call he made in the moments before the crash.

The jurors also found fellow defendants Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal guilty of the men's murder. Natasha Akhtar, 23, from Birmingham, Ameer Jamal, 28, and Sanaf Gulamustafa, 23, both from Leicester, were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.

Co-accused Mohammed Patel, 21, from Leicester, was found not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

Mahek Bukhari - who has nearly 129,000 followers on TikTok where she posted about fashion and beauty - "set a trap" for Mr Hussain on the night he died, the three-month retrial heard.

Prosecutors said Mr Hussain, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, had been "lured" into meeting with the Bukharis on the pretence he would be given back £3,000 he said he had spent on taking his lover out during their relationship.

Instead, Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin, who had driven his friend to the meeting in a Tesco car park in Hamilton in Leicester as a "favour", were ambushed and then chased by two cars.

The court was told Mr Ijazuddin's car split in two and caught fire after hitting a tree at the Six Hills junction on the A46, in the early hours of 11 February 2022.

Karwan, 29, from Leicester, and Jamal, 23, from Loughborough, were driving the vehicles used to pursue the victims.

Hashim Ijazuddin (left) and Saqib Hussain, both from Banbury, died at the scene

In a 999 call made by front-seat passenger Mr Hussain moments before his death, he said their car was being "rammed off the road" by balaclava-wearing assailants in two pursuing cars.

In the call, a distressed Mr Hussain said: "There's guys following me, they have balaclavas on… they're trying to ram me off the road.

"They're trying to kill me, I'm going to die… please sir, I just need help. They're hitting the back of the car, really fast… please I'm begging you. I'm going to die."

A scream was heard on the line before the call abruptly ended.

Ansreen Bukhari (left) and her daughter Mahek stood trial alongside six other people

Before remanding the convicted defendants into custody, Judge Timothy Spencer KC said: "You know the sentence will be very serious." Sentencing is due to take place on 1 September.

Following the verdicts, Mr Hussain's family said he was a "much-loved young man" who was "kind, compassionate, caring and sensible".

His loved ones said they had been "shattered by this senseless act" and were still struggling to come to terms with the enormity of their loss.

In a statement, they said: "Saqib's death has brought so much sadness, not just to his family, but to the many people that knew him.

"We have hope and confidence that Saqib has found eternal rest with Our Lord, and that we will get to be with him again when we pass.

"We also pray that no family will have to go through our experience."

Clockwise from top left: Rekan Karwan and Raees Jamal, who were found guilty of murder, Ameer Jamal, Sanaf Gulamustafa and Natasha Akhtar, who were convicted of manslaughter

Mr Ijazuddin's relatives said he was the "superstar" of their family and their world had come "crashing down" after his death.

In a statement, they said: "Everyone who knew Hashim, loved him. His death is not just a massive loss to our family but also to our whole community.

"Hashim was a cheeky young man who was always smiling, a handsome man who was beautiful both on the inside and out.

"He would do anything for anyone, was very caring and had a very kind heart.

"Hashim would always put others first and wouldn't hesitate to help others if they needed it.

"On that tragic day, he was simply helping his friend and this resulted in his death.

"It has been extremely painful not only losing Hashim at such a young age but also in the circumstances in which we lost him."

Saqib's father Sajad Hussain (centre) and Hashim Ijazuddin's uncle Anser Hussain (right) paid tribute to the young men after the verdicts

After the verdicts, Det Insp Mark Parish of Leicestershire Police said: "This was a callous and cold-blooded attack which ultimately cost two men their lives.

"After setting Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin up, chasing them at high speed and then ultimately ramming their car off the road, none of the defendants made any attempt to help the victims or to call for help.

"Instead, they drove on and then even drove back past the collision site."