A social media influencer and her mum who killed two young men by ramming their car have been sentenced to life with a minimum term at Leicester Crown Court today.
Mahek Bukhari, 24, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 31 years and eight months.
Ansreen Bukhari, 46, also received a life sentence with a minimum term of 26 years and nine months.
The mother and daughter, both from Stoke-on-Trent, murdered Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin on February 11, 2022, in an attempt to cover up Ansreen Bukhari's affair.
Victims Saqib Hussain (left) and Mohammed Hashim (right)
Leicestershire Police/PA Media
The friends, both 21, died after their car crashed into a central reservation barrier near Six Hills on the A46 in Leicestershire, breaking in two and catching fire following a high-speed chase instigated by the Bukhari’s. The mother-daughter duo were found guilty of murder on August 4.
Two others, Raees Jamal and Rekan Karwan, were also convicted for the attack which Leicestershire Police described as “callous and cold-blooded.”
Three more accomplices, Sanaf Gulamustafa, Ameer Jamal and Natasha Akhtar, were found guilty of the men’s manslaughter. One other person, Mohammed Patel, was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter.
Mahek Bukhari found fame on the social media app TikTok. Her videos glamorising her lifestyle as an influencer, sharing make-up tutorials and fashion, drew in millions of views and more than 120,000 followers.
Her mum, Ansreen, shared the spotlight online by dancing along to the latest TikTok trends.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:In one video, Mahek, who shares content under the handle @maybvlogs, captions a dance routine “when you have an elite relationship with your mum.”
Ansreen was trying to end an affair that she had been having for three years with Hussain.
Hussain was blackmailing the mum, threatening to release sex tapes and photos unless she paid back £3,000 he’d spent during the romance.
When she confided in her daughter, Mahek said “I’ll get him jumped by guys and he won’t know what day it is”.
The pair created a plot to lure Hussain into a trap by offering to pay him back.
They agreed to meet at a Tesco car park in Hamilton, Leicester. When Hussain, who’s from Banbury in Oxfordshire, and his friend Ijazuddin arrived in a Skoda Fabia, Mahek, Ansreen and six others were waiting in a Seat Leon and Audi TT.
The cars pursued their targets through Leicestershire in a chase that reached speeds of 100mph.
Hussain frantically called police, claiming people in balaclavas were trying to kill him moments before the crash.
Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin died instantly.
Leicestershire Police spent more than 200 hours gathering evidence in the case, including inspections of damage to the front of the Seat Leon, phone data between the victims and culprits, plus CCTV footage to get the convictions.
Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Inspector Mark Parish from Leicestershire Police said:
“After setting Hussain and 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.”
“My thoughts at this time remain with Hussain and Ijazuddin and their families.
“The past 16 months has been an extremely difficult and heart-breaking time for both families.”
Mahek’s TikTok account has increased by more than 10,000 followers since her arrest in February 2022.
