In August last year a TikTok influencer, 24, and her mother Ansreen, 46, were convicted of double murder after killing her lover and another man during a high-speed chase.
During a trial at Leicester Crown Court, a jury heard how Mahek Bukhari had recruited ‘followers’ to ‘jump’ her married mother’s toyboy Saqib Hussain, 21, after he threatened to leak their sex tape.
Mr Hussain, alongside his friend, Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, travelled to a Tesco car park in Leicestershire, under the assumption the mother and daughter would return the £3,000 he claimed to have spent on Ansreen.
But the pair were ambushed, resulting in a terrifying 100mph high speed chase that would take both of their lives in the early hours of February 11, 2022.
As the story is set to air in ITVX documentary ‘TikTok: Murder Gone Viral’, MailOnline looks at at how Mahek Bukhari went from a burgeoning TikTok star to a double murderer.
Rising TikTok Mahek Bukhari (pictured), 24, was convicted of murder after she and her co-defendants chased two men off the road resulting in their deaths
Mahek Bukhari (left) had recruited ‘followers’ to ‘jump’ her married mother’s toyboy Saqib Hussain because Ansreen Bukhari’s (right) lover had threatened to unveil their three year affair and leak their sex tape
Ansreen turned to her daughter for help after she was blackmailed by her ex-lover. The mother and daughter shared a close bond with Mahek (seen with her mother) often boasting about her close relationship with her mother online, describing her as a sister and best friend
Saqib Hussain (left), 21, met Ansreen via a video app called Azar. The 46-year-old was reportedly flattered by the attention the young man showed her. Their love-affair gone awry eventually led to the death of Saqib and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, (right)
What happened to Mahek Bukhari?
TikTok star, Mahek Bukhari, 24, was once a university drop-out with the hopes of becoming a social media star.
The fruits of her labour were slowly coming to fruition, as she boasted 126,000 TikTok followers and upwards of 43,000 on Instagram 18 months prior to her arrest.
She was also earning money via her social media platforms, being paid for brand promotions and invited to product launch events dotted around the UK.
Her social media was filled with videos, showing off her ‘elite relationship; with her mother Ansreen, who she described as being like ‘a sister’ and a ‘best friend’.
However, after her mother began an affair with Saqib Hussain, 21, the series of events that followed would see the rising social media star and her mother be sentenced to life in prison.
When Mahek’s mother initially met Saqib via video app Azar in 2021, she was ‘flattered’ by the interest the young man showed her, according to Leicestershire Police.
However, after meeting several times in shisha lounges, hotels and restaurants over the years, their relationship eventually went awry.
When Ansreen attempt to end their romance, Saqib did not take the news well, threatening to leak explicit footage of her to her husband.
Instead of going to the police, Ansreen turned to her daughter, Mahek.
Detective Inspector, Mark Parish, from Leicestershire Police told the BBC: ‘Knowing the family of Saqib and having been with them throughout, I know they would have dealt with Saqib and stopped him from doing what he was doing,’ Det Insp Parish said.
‘If [the Bukahris] would have spoken to the police, this would not have happened. It would not have got to this stage.’
In an attempt to help her mother, Mahek recruited Rekan Karwan, Raees Jamal, Ameer Jamal, Sanaf Gulummustafa, Natasha Akhtar and Mohammed Patel to get back at her mother’s scorned lover.
The mother and daughter devised a plan to lure Saqib to a Tesco car park under the guise that they would return the £3,000 he spent on Ansreen during their new romance.
On February 11, 2022, Saqib and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin – who was giving him a lift – were ambushed by Mahek and her assailants, resulting in a high speed chase.
In a distressing phone call made to 999, the jury heard Saqib pleading: ‘They’re right behind. They’re hitting into the back of the car very fast. Please I’m begging you, I’m going to die.’
In the early hours of that morning, their Skoda was eventually rammed off the road and went up in flames. The two men were identified by their dental records.
In a distressing 999 call, Saqib could be heard pleading with call handlers as he and Hashim were rammed off the road by Mahek and her assailants (pictured: the aftermath of the high-speed chase)
TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari (right) and her mother Ansreen Bukhari (left) were sentenced to life for the roles in the two men’s deaths, being handed jail terms of 31 years and eight months, and 26 years and nine months respectively
Where is Mahek Bukhari now?
On September 1, 2023, the influencer was sentenced to life in prison alongside her mother, Ansreen, 46, after a judge ruled the pair caused deadly ‘maelstrom’.
Mahek will be behind bars for 31 years and eight months before she is eligible to be considered for parole.
It has been reported that she had launched an appeal against her sentence in a bid to have her murder conviction overturned at the Court of Appeal.
Her mother, Ansreen was given a prison sentence of 26 years and nine months.
Following the double murder, when interviewed by police Mahek attempted to evade justice by lying.
She rambled, claiming to have witnessed a traffic accident, laying full blame on the other two vehicles.
During the trial, the TikTok star showed little remorse allegedly partaking in board games and sharing laughs with her co-defendants.
She reportedly also waved reporters as the trial was taking place, and was even seen ‘smiling and laughing’ during more silent moments of the trial.
According to the BBC, the then 24-year-old even blew a kiss to her father and played games when the jury retired.
Judge Spencer told Mahek she had an exaggerated sense of entitlement, stating: ‘You are oblivious to the damage you do.’
‘The prosecution categorised this as a story of love, obsession and extortion and in that they were right.’
They added: ‘They were also right in categorising this case as one of cold-blooded murder.’
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