Credit, Leicestershire Police
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Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin (left) and Saqib Hussain died at the crash site
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- Author, George Torr
- Rolle, BBC News
2 hours ago
A TikTok influencer is on trial for “setting a trap” that led to the death of the man who blackmailed her mother and a friend of his in a car crash with an intimate video.
Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, died in a collision after they were reportedly thrown off the road on the A46 motorway near the city of Leicester, England, in February 2022.
Tiktoker Mahek Bukhari, 23, her mother Ansreen Bukhari, 45, and six others face murder charges. All deny the crime.
Prosecutors said Monday in Leicester High Court it involved “love, obsession, blackmail and ultimately coldblooded murder”.
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Ansreen Bukhari (left) and daughter Mahek stand trial with six others
Hussain and Ansreen reportedly began an affair in 2019, which she ended in January 2022.
Prosecutor Collingwood Thompson alleged in court that Hussain was in possession of videos and intimate pictures of Ansreen and made repeated attempts to contact her after the case was concluded.
According to him, Hussain “became increasingly obsessive” as he “declared his love for her” and “begged her” to continue the relationship.
“This anger took the form of an attempt to blackmail Ansreen Bukhari into getting in touch with him,” the lawyer explained.
“The messages show her sexually explicit material, which appeared to have been recorded some time earlier, and which he threatened to send to her husband and son.”
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(From bottom left) Ansreen Bukhari, Mahek Bukari, Rekan Karwan, Raees Jamal, (from top left) Ameer Jamal, Sanaf Gulammustafa, Natasha Akhtar and Mohammed Patel
Her daughter who knew of the case would have been informed of the blackmail and, fearing the impact on the family and her social media followers, would have sent a threatening message to Hussain.
She also sent a WhatsApp message to her mother saying “I’ll get some guys to pick him up soon”.
The jury was told Hussain was demanding payment of up to £3,000 (£7,000) he had spent meeting Ansreen Bukhari during their courtship and a meeting was arranged in Leicester to hand over the money.
But instead of handing over the money, the mother and daughter planned to take Hussain’s phone with the explicit footage.
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Mahek Bukhari had posted on social media how close she was to her mother.
The lawyer recounted how “other defendants were involved” and claimed it was clear that the Bukharis had to “silence” Hussain.
“The idea was to lure Hussain out on a date by promising to pay the money,” Thompson said.
According to him, the group “no doubt expected him to just hand over the phone in a confrontation.”
Hussain and his friend Ijazuddin, who agreed to drive him to the meeting, were killed in the accident shortly after midnight on February 11.
Credit, Leicestershire Live/BPM Media
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Prosecutors allege that the car carrying the two boys was thrown off the road.
The court heard Hussain’s frantic call to 999 (emergency number) while he was traveling in the passenger seat.
On the call, Hussain said, “I’ve got some guys following me, they’re wearing balaclavas… they’re trying to hustle me off the street.”
“You’re trying to kill me, I’m going to die… please, I need help.”
“They ram the rear of the car, very fast… please, I beg you. I’m going to die.”
A scream is heard before the call ends abruptly.
“That explains why the police knew it wasn’t a typical car accident, but a cold blood murder and naturally led to a full investigation,” Thompson said.
“These investigations have uncovered a story of love, obsession, extortion and ultimately coldblooded murder,” the prosecutor added in court.
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Mahek Bukhari has denied two murder allegations
Police video footage from the scene of the accident was presented to the jury and showed the car ablaze against a tree in the median of the A46 motorway near the Six Hills junction, near Leicester.
Police and firefighters discovered the two bodies after putting out the fire.
The other defendants are: Rekan Karwan, 29 years old; Raees Jamal, 22; Mohammed Patel, 22 years old; Natasha Akhtar, 23 years old; Sanaf Gulammustafa, 23; and 28yearold Ameer Jamal.
The process is ongoing.