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British-Pakistani TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari and her mother have been found guilty of murder in a disturbing case involving a fatal car crash.
The verdict was delivered after a trial during which the court heard harrowing details of the events that led to the tragic deaths of two young men near Leicester.
Mahek Bukhari, 24, known as Maya, boasted nearly 129,000 followers on TikTok and 43,000 on Instagram before her arrest, where she regularly shared posts updating followers on her clothes, handbags, and make-He mother Ansreen Bukhari, 46, often appears in the videos.
The daughter-mother duo was convicted of orchestrating a deadly plot that resulted in the deaths of Saqib Hussain and Hashim Ijazuddin, both aged 21, by ramming their car off the road.
The incident occurred in February 2022 near Leicester, when the victim’s car was forcefully rammed off the road. The court learned that the attack followed a series of events triggered by threats made by Saqib Hussain to expose an affair he had with Bukhari’s mother.
Prosecutors said Mahek Bukhari used her social media presence to deceive Saqib Hussain into meeting her under false pretenses. The victim’s car was pursued and ultimately forced off the road, leading to a crash that claimed their lives.
Two accomplices Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal were also found guilty of murder, while others were convicted of manslaughter. The jury deliberated for 28 hours before delivering the verdict.
Just before he died, front-seat passenger Hussain called 999 claiming Ijazuddin’s car was being “blocked in” and rammed by attackers wearing balaclavas who had been following them in two cars.
In a recording played at Leicester Crown Court earlier in October last year, he said: “They’re trying to ram us off the road. Please, I’m begging you, I’m going to die.” He also said, “Oh my God”, before there was a scream and the call cut off at the sound of an impact.
Hussain’s family earlier told detectives that he had had a three-year affair with Ansreen, who was married with children. Hussain had recorded “sexually explicit” material, and photos and videos of the couple were found on Hussain’s Instagram account.
When Ansreen Bukhari tried to end the relationship in January 2022, he “became increasingly obsessive, professing his love for her”, prosecutor Collingwood Thompson KC said during the trial.
After Bukhari would not return his calls, Thompson said Hussain’s anger “manifested itself in an attempt to blackmail Ansreen Bukhari in order to persuade her to contact him”.
Bukhari confided in her daughter and Thompson told jurors that it set out a possible motive to “silence” Hussain.
The court will announce sentencing Mahek Bukhari and her mother on September 1. Judge Timothy Spencer KC emphasized the seriousness of the crime and the impending punishment.
The families of the victims expressed their sorrow and devastation at the loss of their loved ones. They described Saqib Hussain as a “much-loved young man” and Hashim Ijazuddin as a caring and kind-hearted individual. The families called the incident a senseless act that had shattered their lives and left a lasting void.
