INFLUENCER AND HER MOTHER JAILED FOR LIFE OVER CAR CHASE MURDERS
A social media influencer and her mother have received life sentences after being convicted of participating in the murder of two men, who died when their vehicle was deliberately driven off the road.Mahek Bukhari, 24 years old, was found guilty of orchestrating the crime and was sentenced to serve a minimum of 31 years and eight months in prison.
Her mother, Ansreen Bukhari, also convicted, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of nine years less, totaling 26 years and nine months.
The court determined that the killing stemmed from a scheme rooted in love, obsession, and extortion, linked to Ansreen’s affair, which the victims, Saqib Hussain and Hashim Ijazuddin, aged 21, threatened to reveal.
The case involved enlisting others to ambush the victims during a car chase through Leicestershire, culminating in their cars crashing and catching fire.
The judge described the murder as 'cold-blooded' and criticized Mahek for her apparent fixation on herself, calling her 'entirely self-obsessed.' He noted her distorted values and her apparent failure to grasp the harm caused, citing her social media prominence and her nonchalant attitude during the trial.
Additional individuals involved were sentenced for manslaughter and related crimes.
The court was presented with harrowing evidence, including a 999 emergency call from Mr.
Hussain just before the crash, in which he described being pursued by masked attackers attempting to force him off the road.
This evidence was described as 'one of the most moving and distressing heard in a criminal court.' The proceedings were emotionally intense, with family members of the victims expressing their grief.
The judge highlighted that this case was driven by love, obsession, extortion, and a brutal killing, underscoring the tragic fallout of the defendants’ actions.
