What Happened to Saqib Hussain (Murder Case)?

The tragic events surrounding the murder of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin unfolded from a clandestine affair and a desperate attempt to silence a blackmailer. Saqib Hussain, 21, had been involved in a three-year affair with Ansreen Bukhari, a married woman and mother of TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari. When Ansreen attempted to end the relationship in January 2022, Hussain reportedly became obsessive and threatened to expose their affair to her husband and share sexually explicit material, demanding £3,000 he claimed to have spent on her.

Mahek Bukhari, aware of her mother's affair and the blackmail threats, became actively involved in a plan to confront and silence Hussain. Messages revealed Mahek telling her mother, 'I'll get him jumped by guys and he won't know what day it is.' On February 11, 2022, Hussain and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, who had driven him as a favour, were lured to a Tesco car park in Leicester under the pretense of receiving the money. This meeting, however, was an ambush involving Mahek, Ansreen, and several accomplices in two vehicles, an Audi TT and a Seat Leon.

When Hussain and Ijazuddin realized they were in danger, they fled in their Skoda Fabia, leading to a high-speed chase on the A46 dual carriageway. During a desperate 999 call made moments before his death, Hussain told the operator that their car was being 'rammed off the road' by balaclava-wearing assailants and that they were 'trying to kill' him. The Skoda was deliberately forced off the road, crashed into a tree, split in two, and burst into flames, killing both men instantly.

The subsequent police investigation, triggered by Hussain's chilling 999 call, led to the arrest of eight individuals. After a three-month trial at Leicester Crown Court, Mahek Bukhari, Ansreen Bukhari, Rekhan Karwan, and Raees Jamal were found guilty of two counts of murder in August 2023. Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal, and Sanaf Gulamustafa were convicted of two counts of manslaughter. Mohammed Patel was acquitted.

Sentencing took place in September 2023. Mahek Bukhari received a life sentence with a minimum term of 31 years and eight months, while Ansreen Bukhari was sentenced to a minimum of 26 years and nine months. Raees Jamal received a minimum of 31 years, and Rekhan Karwan 26 years and 10 months. The manslaughter convictions resulted in sentences ranging from 11 years and eight months to 14 years and nine months. In October 2025, Mahek Bukhari appealed her sentence, arguing it was 'wholly disproportionate.' The Court of Appeal agreed, reducing her minimum term to 26 years and 285 days, citing that the original judge did not adequately account for her youth and immaturity at the time of the offenses. Appeals for Ameer Jamal, Sanaf Gulammustafa, and Natasha Akhtar also resulted in reduced sentences, while Ansreen Bukhari and Raees Jamal did not pursue their appeals.