Chapters
Shownotes Transcript
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Whether you love true crime or comedy, celebrity interviews or news, you call the shots on what's in your podcast queue. And guess what? Now you can call them on your auto insurance too, with the Name Your Price tool from Progressive. It works just the way it sounds. You tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance, and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget.
Get your quote today at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Save on Cox Internet when you add Cox Mobile and get fiber-powered internet at home and unbeatable 5G reliability on the go. So whether you're playing a game at home or attending one live,
You can do more without spending more. Learn how to save at Cox.com slash internet. Cox Internet is connected to the premises via coaxial cable. Cox Mobile runs on the network with unbeatable 5G reliability as measured by UCLA LLC in the U.S. to H2023. Results may vary, not an endorsement of the restrictions apply.
What's that?
Like the one that motivational speakers use where it's like all in one. So it goes on the head. Oh, yeah. Good idea. Like cash sales guy. How are you doing? I am a little under the weather, to be frank. But I'm going to push through because I love this shit too much to miss it. Yeah, my throat started hurting when you said that you were sick. Oh, great. I'm going to be blamed for this.
That's not what I'm saying. That's exactly what you're saying. Yeah, I mean, it's not, I'm not not saying it. But when you said you were feeling a little sick, I was like, I feel like I'm a little sick too. So you're either like really empathetic and you're taking on my symptoms or you're a hypochondriac.
Or third choice, I'm actually getting sick. Maybe. Independently, because I have children also. I don't believe you though. And there are petri dishes of bacteria. And where do we go? We went somewhere for the kids. I was around a lot of people yesterday, like hundreds of people.
Dads and kids, gross. The two grossest beings on the planet. I would rather get licked by my dog after he did God knows what than be amongst children in like flu season. You'd rather get licked by your dog than almost anything. You'd rather get licked by your dog than win the lottery for $50. So true. All right. So from what I understand...
Today we're doing a case that I requested. Yes, sir. And I barely know what it's about. Like most things in my life, I have a passing acquaintance with... Cursory understanding. The facts, the events. Like, all I know is that a TikTok influencer killed...
Her mom and then her mom helped her cover up for it. For her own murder? Yeah, something like that. Or she was buried alive or something like that. What was the woman with the casket and the knocking on it? And she was like, hey, yo, I'm not dead yet. The Ecuadorian woman? Si, si, si, si, si. Oh my God, Dios mio. She was not dead. 76 years old, suffered a...
pulmonary cardiac something or other. She was pronounced dead at the hospital in a coffin at her own wake. Her son hears her knocking from inside the coffin. Thank God. Which from what I understand, again, cursory knowledge of everything in my life,
They do assume that that has happened. Yeah. In history. It has happened. This isn't even the first woman who we know about that it's happened to who like successfully got herself like noticed inside her coffin. But how do we know if someone's buried and they're knocking on it and people and nobody's standing around like... We don't. That's what I'm saying. Right. So like it has to have happened. Absolutely.
Absolutely. But I said this on the Instagram post that there are many brands of coffins that have a bell inside for that reason. And then it's attached to a rope, which is tied around the presumed decedent's wrist.
So that if they start moving, the bell starts ringing. Oh, good. Because it's probably dark in there. Yeah. Right? You think? It's a coffin, man. And you're underground. Right. Yeah. That's probably the darkest it's ever been for that person. Oh, emotionally and literally. Every way. Wait. So that's really smart. That's good that they do that. So it's like a sensor. So if you start, but what if your body is just moving? Maybe Jesus did rise from the dead. Oh,
Okay, new podcast. Tank Talks Religion. No, it's not religion. It's because that's one of the hangups that most people have, myself included, is like, I get that he was the physical embodiment of God and spirituality and perfect and he did all these things, right? But did he rise from the dead? Like that just seems... I wasn't there, man. I really can't weigh in on that. I know, but this woman probably can. Yeah. Yeah.
I know, I'd love to have coffee with her. She's probably such a believer now. She was probably very devout before. I mean, she had a big crucifix on her coffin. Maybe that's why she got risen. Maybe. I don't know, man. Moving on. Yeah. There's a review that came in that
Must be acknowledged because there's too many good things in it. You have a big smile. Is this about you and only you? No, but the title is Slam Dunk. Love it already. Because that's, you said, is it the Slam Dunk? And I said, I don't know, but the title is Slam Dunk. Vassilios from the gutter. My kind of guy. Yeah. As a sales rep, my kind of guy.
that covers all of New York City and Long Island. My kind of guy. I'm in the car a lot. The day Apple hits me with that notification, that sweet, sweet notification that a new episode drops, I'll set up a meeting in the Bronx because I've got fire on deck. Yes. This fucking guy loves this podcast. I fucking love him. The
The dynamic between the hosts is electric. We like hearing that. The storytelling is great. And when things get dark, Tank's man of the people comedy style brings you back to earth. Get ready for the next line. All this from a guy who installed my fence. Who are you, bro?
But thank you for your business and now your support. Yeah. Long Island inside jokes make me feel at home and the whole thing just works. Keep it up and I'll keep enjoying. So I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and think that you need to be from Long Island to get acknowledged. This one just...
There was a lot. I mean, I think probably my favorite thing was the fact that when that notification hits, he'll set up a meeting in the Bronx because he's got fire on deck. Love it. That's fucking, that's me. And we will move on to the episode in about 15 seconds. That's me.
planning my trip across country to move from New York to California based on the fact that Jay-Z dropped an album. Yeah, I can't believe you really did that. And then I listened to that album for two weeks straight in the car with my friend Jay, who was... Wanted to kill himself. Developing some sort of mental illness by the time we were done. Because he's Jay, not Jay-Z. Yeah, but he loved Jay-Z.
But I remember being in the middle of America somewhere, fell asleep in the car, woke up, rapping one of the songs. You would. Yeah. So thank you, Vasilios. Thank you. And thank you, everybody. We saw all the other reviews. Keep those sweet reviews coming in. Keep sharing the podcast.
Listen, you true crime freaks all know each other. So, you know, tell some people about this because the more you tell people, the more excited we get, the more excited we get, the better the episodes are. Yeah. Oh, 100%. You got fire on deck right now. Absolutely. I always do, man. And I got some zingers in my pocket as well. Then let's get started. Yeah. So Cash, wake up, get ready, speak English, and let's hear about this TikTok influencer true crime bonanza.
Social media has experienced a tremendous surge in the past decade. True. I get no points for providing any cutting edge insight on that one. You guys heard about social media? It's pretty big. Social media, as we all know, has had a tremendous impact on almost every corner of the globe. Yes. Everywhere. The use of social media is no longer seen as something novel or like fleetingly on trend, right? It's become a fundamental part of life for individuals and
families, organizations, businesses, and world leaders alike. The significance and impact of social media in our current world is, by this point, indisputable. One may not like to admit it, but one cannot deny it. Particularly since the 2020 pandemic, during which we endured a hopefully once-in-a-lifetime near global lockdown. Except for the fact that we both have itchy throats right now. Yeah. That's not a good sign. Our human needs, priorities, and lifestyles drastically changed.
There was no choice during that time period, adapt or die. The ways in which we made money, how we spent it, how we got our food, what products we decided to try, how we got our hands on those products, how we received our information with respect to news and entertainment, how our children learned, right? Just how we interacted with the human species was in general, very, very different compared to previous years and decades and
and centuries maybe. Most people rely upon the internet to stay connected. And it was during the pandemic in particular that we came to understand the true power of social media and its influence in almost all aspects of life.
The projected number of global social media users in 2023 is 4.89 billion. Wow, that's like half, more than half. Of the world's population. Yeah. And that indicates a 6.5% rise from the year before. So look at that growth even, right? Yeah.
And it's not even enough now for many people to just passively consume content on social media. Nowadays, the real draw for many people is to create content and in doing so to gain notoriety and a certain level of fame and prestige. Side note, go buy Influencers in the Wild the game on Amazon or influencersinthewild.com. Help me save my house. Shameless plug. Okay, shameful. According to a 2019 study conducted by market research company Morning Consult,
86% of people ages 13 to 38 would like to become a social media influencer. 86%? Yes. What ages? 13 to 36? To 38. 38. That's the whole world. That's the meat and potatoes of the world.
Social media star has become the fourth most popular career aspiration for kids. Sure, yeah. And the term influencer was even named the word of the year by the American Dialect Association in 2019. Wow. So what exactly is a social influencer? Ostensibly, it's someone who wields influence.
The term, which by this point is recognized by literally anyone that's like not maybe living under a rock, is shorthand for someone with the power to affect the buying habits or actions of others by publicly sharing some form of original content on social media platforms. Whether it's photos, short and punchy little videos, blogs, quick stories, whatever. The value of the content is derived from the perceived authority and most importantly, authenticity of its creator.
A social influencer can be a content creator, but a content creator is not necessarily a social influencer.
Here comes our first pop quiz. Oh, I'm going to fucking crush this one. According to an online source from 2017, which content creator at one point very early on posted shirtless selfies on his account? No. A. Fuck you. Beauty YouTuber James Charles. B. CrossFit King Matt Fraser. Or C. Meme Daddy Tank Sinatra. Oh my God. Oh my God.
My head is about to... There's so much blood in my head right now that I feel like my eyes are going to swell shut. I couldn't resist. I absolutely couldn't resist. Wait, say the question again. According to an online source from 2017, which content creator at one point very early on posted shirtless selfies on his account? Oh, Tank Sinatra. Yeah, yeah, me. Fucking kill me.
Right now. I literally found an article about you on Yahoo, and it was a straight-up interview. These words came from your mouth. Is this when you were doing... Bodybuilding, yeah. Bodybuilding, yeah. I wanted to be a fitness guy. I mean, you are a fitness guy. Yeah, but I wanted to be like a fitness guy online. Okay. You know? Well, I think you're a lot bigger than that now. Oh, yeah. Jeez. Wow. That... Yeah, you like that? That was fucking harsh. Yeah.
Social influencers who regularly appear in public view can make millions of dollars through brand sponsorships and advertisements. You're laughing. I'm not saying you. I'm just saying like social influencers, right? I'm just livid that you would bring that up. Furious. Sorry. Listen, man. And in front of Cash, too. I mean. Cash doesn't know me back then like that. He's appalled.
It's a double-edged sword for social influencers because by being so visible to so many people, influencers are also subject to intense public scrutiny both on and offline. Yeah. And since their pay nut is only as strong as the number of squirrels in their following, many would likely go to great lengths to secure their spotlight on the virtual stage. Wow. Who wrote that? I did.
Since their peanut is attached to rabid squirrels. Okay, not exactly. You're paraphrasing, but sure. Yeah, yeah, something like that. Yeah, you liked it or no? Yeah, it was very good. I think you should write a book. Brooke's book? Brooke's book of true crime. Yeah, you're onto something. Brooke's book of murder. I love it. By the way, quick little side note. I just saw your dad before we started recording. And he's like, what you guys up to? And I'm like, oh, you know, we're podcasting. He's like, the scary stuff? Yeah.
I was like, yep, the scary stuff. Yep, if that's how you have to hear it to understand it. Right. So the idea that influencers are subject to criticism extremely more so obviously than somebody who's not in the spotlight constantly. Yeah.
Oh, her mom was involved. Her mom was involved, but her mom was not the one killed. So you did not accurately convey what this case was about in the intro. Yes. And that's okay. That's what I'm here for.
Hey, I just post shirtless selfies. Right. Yeah, that's what you're good for. Yeah. This England-based TikTok star in February of 2022 was involved in a double homicide. And there were other, many other people involved as well, which we're going to go on to here, including her own mother.
Allegedly, these double homicides arose when there was a need to bury some delicate information which stood to threaten, damage, or even destroy this England-based TikTok star's status. Wait, so the double homicide came up
It came out that she was somewhat involved and she was more worried about her following than the actual legal... Like, is that what you're saying? That's what I am alluding to, yes. Holy crap. I mean, relatable, but fucking get a grip. Today, we are discussing the case of social influencer Mahek Bukhari, known online as May B Vlogs,
and more recently referred to in recent headlines as potential murderer. Yeah. And I say potential because at the time of this recording, Mahek Bakari's case is still open and the trial is actively underway. Maybe vlogs, maybe murder. Nice. I see what you did there.
So let's get into it. So she's, this is an ongoing situation. This is an ongoing case. Yeah. It's open. We should just change the podcast to the covering of the case. I'm just kidding. Okay. Because I like my serial killers way too much to table them. Yeah. Mahek Bukhari, who sometimes goes by the name Maya, is from a place called Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. Mahek is of Pakistani heritage and was born in 1999 to her mother, Ansreen Bukhari,
and her father, whose name has been kept private during all of this public hoopla. I revealed his name in my investigation, but I'm not going to reveal it here because I'm going to respect his privacy. Okay. Mehek was educated in private schools before receiving a bachelor's degree in fashion. She boasted about working out regularly, eating mostly home-cooked food, and avoiding junk food. We've all seen her kind online, right? That's for you. Yeah.
Mahek's mother, Anne Sreen, works professionally as the managing director for city security, though has maintained a presence on Mahek's social media page as well, and in her own way became somewhat of an influencer as well. Yeah, she kind of rode her daughter's coattails, but she was there.
Mehek's status and growing fame as a social influencer really blew up during the peak of the pandemic, which is, I mentioned in the intro, kind of when a lot of social media elements really blew up. Well, as you were talking about that, I was thinking, I haven't thought about it, I guess, that intensely.
Things done changed during the pandemic. Big time. Zoom, Instacart, DoorDash, these companies. I mean, social media obviously became a little bit more important, but it was already so saturated. It was hard to become two or 300 times more important. But there are certain things that just absolutely, like things changed big time. I don't think I've been in a grocery store. No. Since.
I'm still using Instacart, you know, like, yeah, life has changed. Whether you need three items or 45. I end up ordering somewhere in between every time. So during the period of the pandemic, Mahek began to participate in TikTok challenges and to produce short videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, including videos that included her and her mother dancing or dressing up together in traditional Middle Eastern garb.
They were making a name for themselves online. Yeah. Mahek mostly grew her significant following by creating reaction videos and providing advice about travel, fashion, makeup, and lifestyle. Really important stuff. She'd film from her bedroom, which was filled with designer clothing and expensive shoes.
By 2021, Mahek accumulated 132,000 followers on TikTok, 45,000 on Instagram, and 3,900 subscribers on YouTube. She garnered over 3 million likes on all of her videos combined, which to a meme god such as yourself, Taylor, may seem like a pittance, but for the rest of us mere mortals, that is a big deal. Those are big numbers for us. Who is she? Really? No, I'm kidding. Oh.
Her net worth was said to be around a quarter of a million dollars. Mahek and Ansreen have what Mahek refers to as an elite relationship. They appear in both looks and behavior to be more like sisters or friends than mother and daughter, which like for me is crossing a line. I'm very close with my mother. You know this.
We're very, very close. We live across the street from each other. We see each other almost every day. We talk all the time. We'll hang out. But there's no gray area. She's my mother. Yeah, that's it. Right? I don't look at her and see a friend, a bestie. We're not making little videos together. And I don't judge people who have fun with their parents. But their relationship, this quote, elite relationship, is for me a little cringy. Yeah. Yeah.
So it's not terribly surprising to learn that after Anne Serene shared a very, very deep, dark secret with Mahek in February of 2022, a secret that, if revealed, would not only threaten their family unit, but also tarnish Mahek's growing twinkle in the public eye, mother and daughter allegedly became co-conspirators in covering up the secret. Pop quiz. Yes. What secret did Anne Serene, mom, reveal to her daughter, Mahek?
A, she was embezzling money from her employer. Okay. B, she was operating a suburban prostitution ring. C, she was having an affair with a 21-year-old man. D, she was posing on MILF websites. So she was embezzling money from her employer. She was running a prostitution ring, suburban, having an affair, or posing on MILF sites. Running a prostitution ring? No. Okay.
Are you sure? I am. Having an affair with a 21-year-old? Ding, ding, ding. Apparently, 46-year-old Ansreen Bukhari revealed to Mac that over the course of a three-year period beginning in 2019, she'd been having an affair with a 21-year-old bakery worker from Oxfordshire named Saqib Hussain, whom she'd apparently met on a dating app. The fuck's she doing on a dating app?
she's having affairs. Oh, true. Now, the adulterous relationship in and of itself was not necessarily the issue at hand or the big secret that Anne Serene felt she needed to confide in her daughter. Rather, it was the giant shitstorm of a situation that ensued after Anne Serene attempted to end the affair with Saqib in January of 2022.
According to Anne Serene, the relationship had run its course. And when she said as much to Saqib and tried to break things off with him, he was absolutely crushed.
Well, he's 21. He's very, very young. Remember like your first heartbreak at that age? Your world ended. My first 10 heartbreaks, I was like, the world is over. Yeah. Forget about it. I was there for some of them and you definitely were like doomsday every time. Yeah. I was a little dramatic. Yeah, I was a little over the top, but I was there for
Well, we can't all have met our sweetheart when we were 12. Excuse me, 18. Same thing. And then just been with them and happy forever. You're right. You know what I mean? But not everybody's Dave. Some of us had to go through some... Ups and downs. Some gauntlets. My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big ROAS man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend.
My friend's still laughing at me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com slash results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com slash results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be, to be.
Saqib indicated to his sister, Sana, that when he started the relationship with Ansreen, his goal was just to have a little fun. Yeah. But then he wound up falling in love with her, which Sana warned him against doing. Who's Sana? His sister, Saqib's sister. And by the way, some of the names are a little tricky. So if you need me to remind you of who somebody is, don't be afraid to ask.
When Anne Serene broke up with Saqib, he did not experience a simple or quick feeling of disappointment. He was thoroughly heartbroken. Saqib texted and called Anne Serene constantly following the breakup, professing his undying love while begging Anne Serene to reconsider her decision to end things. Probably listening to Coldplay the whole night. Definitely. Yeah. When she refused to get back together with him...
Saqib turned from heartbroken and shocked to obsessive, embittered, and vengeful. Saqib did? Yes. Okay. The more Anne Streen resolutely held her stance on the breakup, the more Saqib's frustration grew, resulting in retaliatory rage. Gone was the heartbroken, jilted lover, and in his place stood an angry, resentful person who refused to accept the outcome of the affair. Well, that's how you get her back.
You think? No, I'm kidding. Okay. That doesn't make you look any more attractive to the person who's already trying to leave you. No, but there are people in that headspace are not thinking clearly. No, of course not. Listen, I wrote the book on unstable emotional behavior.
So it was at this point that Saqib decided to make Ansreen pay, literally, for what she'd done. Pay? Yep, and he started to blackmail her. He threatened to post sexually explicit photographs and videos of Ansreen on the internet unless she reimbursed him 3,000 pounds, which is apparently how much he'd spent on her during their three-year affair.
And he said after she paid him, he would disappear to Pakistan for six months following payment and like get out of her hair. So she paid him? No. Oh, he was like, okay, I have these videos, whatever, pay me and then I'll disappear. Correct. I thought I heard it wrong. Okay. Saqib also threatened to show up at the Bukhari family home with his friends to tell Ansreen's husband and son about the affair if she didn't comply with his financial demands. One of Saqib's text messages to Ansreen read,
Quote, your son's going to see them videos now of us in the hotel, okay? Don't make me fuck everything up.
He apparently called and texted Anne Serene constantly, making up to 1,700 calls to Anne Serene lasting five seconds or less following the breakup compared to Anne Serene who called Saqib 200 times. So his messages were definitely more along the lines of harassment versus hers when she was calling and leaving messages and trying to talk things out. Trying to call him back. Right.
I, can I tell a quick story? Of course. So cell phones are, you know, not that new, but pretty new for the human race. One of the times that I was going, I was in a difficult situation that I had probably created myself. And the girl I was dating, I was 23 years old.
She used to like to mess with me, I think. Like she'd get a kick out of me being jealous or upset or whatever. And she was at college and she goes, oh, some guy from my class just walked up. Let me go. I got to talk to him. And I obviously was, that's, you know, couldn't handle that. So she hung up on me and I called her. I don't even know how many times I called her for the next like half an hour, 40 minutes, whatever, until I was just like exhausted. And then I got my cell phone bill. This is when you used to still get cell phone bills with all your calls on them. Uh-huh.
And I was like, there's a mistake. My cell phone bill is like $780. Oh, man. 2003. This is not possible. It can't be.
So I called Nextel, which is a company that doesn't exist anymore, for those of you who don't know that. And I was like, I think there's been a mistake with my bill. And look, like right here, 3.13 p.m. on this date. It says I called her four times in one minute. It's not even possible. Like you can't even, it has to ring and whatever. And the girl who was on the customer service line goes, not if she hits decline. Ooh. And my fucking heart aches.
I was like,
Oh, yeah. That's probably what she was doing. Yeah, man. I mean, was that not clear to you at the time? I think at that time, sometimes it used to ring twice. Sometimes it used to ring five times. It was not... It wasn't like now with the iPhones or whatever where like if it rings three times and it goes to voicemail, like you know they declined. Back then, it was still very much gray area. But I didn't... Yeah, it became very clear to me at that point that she was declining my calls. How far after that did you guys break up? Oh, we only dated for...
Wow, that was like a week into it. I'm about to out myself. We only dated for like four months. Oh, dang. How long could you date somebody like that for, realistically, though? No, no, you guys were not the right fit for each other. No, no, no. She shouldn't have been messing with you like that also, P.S. Yeah, well, I was sicky, so I attracted a sicky. Oh, okay. Yeah. Now, unfortunately for Saqib, making those threats and financial demands ended up being a disastrous failure
fatal mistake that caused him and his friend from childhood their lives. Ooh. Because Anne Serene knew that she could not allow this young man who was now in her rearview mirror
to destroy her entire family and potentially cause irreparable harm to her daughter's public image and increasing popularity online. Mahek concurred and thus inserted herself directly in the middle of her mother's heated saga with her former borderline teenage lover. Such an inappropriate use of a child, by the way. Beyond. That's what I'm saying. Their relationship was just inappropriate. Yeah. Oh, you're cheating on dad? Let me help you with my following. I'll tweet at him to tell him to stop and embarrass...
What the fuck? Well, part of it too is that I think Anne Serene likely presented the situation to him a heck as this may shoot down your online presence. Like this may be like blood in the water. You know what I mean? We have to fix this. By the way, let me say the mom is at fault. She's the adult here. Yes. Oh, 100%.
Now, upon learning about the blackmail attempt, Mahek sent Saqib a message on WhatsApp saying, I'm sorry, but this year you'll be gone, Saqib. Carry on speaking to her now. You'll see movement soon. Then she sent her mother a message saying, I'll soon get him jumped by guys and he won't know what day it is. Whoa.
It was at this point in the saga when Anne Serena and Mehek allegedly devised an official plan to deal with the situation. Such a young thing to say, by the way. I'm going to get you jumped. Oh, I know. What are you, 15? I know. She's not that far off from 15. Yeah. She was born in 99, so 23. Pop quiz, Tank. What did their plan allegedly entail?
Are you guys ready for me to fail a pop quiz? I think you're going to get this one. Honk your horn. Show me your failure. A, enlisting the services of the Albanian mafia from East London. B, burning down the bakery where Saqib worked and then framing him for arson. C, confronting Saqib to attempt to talk some sense into him. So confronting him, burning down his bakery or Albanian mafia. Yes. I would prefer if the story was that...
They...
Got involved with the Albanian mafia? Nope. Oh, burned down his bakery? Nope. Fucking the lamest one? They confronted him? That's why I added this. I'm like, he's going to think it's just so simple. But let me tell you something. That little plan that they devised or allegedly devised ended up becoming the spark that ignited a huge disastrous flame. Yeah, they probably should have just got the Albanian mafia involved. Yeah.
Next time, take that flame and burn down the bakery instead. So the plan was supposed to allegedly be simple. Okay. The plan was to lure Saqib into meeting Ansreen and Mahek and one of their friends at a Tesco parking lot in Hamilton, Leicestershire by
by promising him the money that he was demanding. Then they would seize his phone and delete the images. But on Friday, February 11th, 2022, Mahek and Aunt Serene, along with six accomplices, put this plan into action. And it did not go according to their supposed original plan. So mother-daughter plus six people.
Yes. That's deep. They're rolling deep. Saqib arrived at the Tesco with his closest childhood friend, Hashim Ijazuddin, who was also 21 years old, and he thought that they were about to engage in a transactional swap of money for photos. But when Saqib and Hashim arrived at the parking lot, they were confronted by a show of force that included all eight defendants in this case, right? So as you said, and Sreen Mahek and the aforementioned six accomplices.
Now, Mahek alleges that she only asked for one person, a man named Rais Jamal, to join her and her mom as backup in case the exchange with Saqib turned confrontational. She claims that she never intended for there to be this, like, small mob. But then Rais, according to Mahek, brought along his backup. Yeah. And then his backup brought along his backup. And you can see how there's constant shifts of blame, right?
And everybody's blaming everybody for bringing more people to the show than was originally planned. Hey, listen, that's how house parties get out of hand, you know? Good point. It happens fast. Sensing it was some kind of a trap, Saqib and Hashim immediately got back into their car at the Tesco at 1.20 a.m. and they floored it out of the parking lot. Yeah. Sadly, instead of fleeing from what felt like an ominous dark cloud...
they essentially ran or drove directly into the eye of the storm. What? Metaphorically. Because what happened next was a 10-minute high-speed highway chase scene straight out of Fast and Furious. Oh, okay. Saqib and Hashim drove up the A46 at 100 miles per hour in Hashim's silver Skoda Fabia while being relentlessly chased from behind by two cars,
a gray Audi TT belonging to Mahek, but being driven by this other individual named Rakan, as well as a blue Seat Leon belonging to another one of the accomplices that was there. Is that like a really expensive car? I don't even know what that is. I had to Google how to pronounce it, so I have no idea. Seat Leon? Yeah. How do you spell it?
S, it's spelled like seat, S-E-A-T. Oh. And then L-E-O-N. So it's a seat Leon. That's how we would say it, but it's a Seat Leon. Wait, and how fast were they going? 100 miles per hour. Okay, yeah, that's too fast. And the A46, I'm assuming, is some kind of main... Highway. Highway, okay. In England.
While Hashim frantically drove at the literal breakneck speed of 100 miles per hour, Saqib apparently spoke with Mehek on the phone while her car continued to relentlessly pursue his. And during that call, Mehek allegedly said to Saqib, watch what I do to you. Then Saqib made a desperate 911 call or 999. Wait, she was texting him? Yes. While they're driving 100 miles an hour? Yes. Oh my God. And Saqib called emergency services from the passenger's
Because his friend Tashim was actually the one driving. Yeah. And what he said during that call to emergency services is truly harrowing. This is what he said.
I'm being followed by two vehicles. They're trying to block me in. They've got balaclavas on. They're trying to ram me off the road. They're hitting into the back of my car very fast. They're trying to kill me. I'm going to die. Please, please, sir, I just need help. They're hitting the back of my car really fast. Please, I'm begging you. I'm going to die. Then...
you hear Saqib letting out one final scream before the call abruptly disconnects. Here's what tragically happened. Saqib and Hashim's car was being forced off the road at close to 100 miles per hour. Yeah.
Then it collided head on with a tree in the central reservation of the A46. The impact was so severe that the vehicle split in two before bursting into flames. Police officers attending the crash scene at about 1.35 a.m. reported seeing a body hanging out of what remained of the near side passenger seat. But the heat of the flames that was engulfing the car...
prevented rescuers from being able to help the victims trapped inside. I mean, they definitely died on impact anyway. That's exactly what I was just going to say. The young men inside Saqib and Hashim were said to have died instantly from their injuries before the fire. If they didn't die, they definitely were not conscious. Yeah. I mean, 100 miles an hour is so fucking fast.
To stop at a dead stop. Oh, yeah. So, you know, now that Dave is a volunteer firefighter, for anyone who doesn't know who Dave is, that's my husband, he gets called in the middle of the night all the time. He gets paged to go out to these horrific scenes. Yeah. And actually, just coincidentally, last night at 4 a.m., he was paged. And there was a pickup truck that got into a wreck. Mm-hmm. And...
Dave said when he arrived on the scene, all the airbags had deployed. He was clearly going at full speed before he crashed into a tree. It just reminds me of this case for obvious reasons. Yeah. And when they approached the car, they couldn't find him. So they thought that he was ejected. That wasn't the case. He was just so enmeshed with the car that had been so wrecked.
I mean, Dave was really shook, obviously. Guy died, obviously. He did, he did. Dave's haunted by the visual because he, obviously, he was there. Terrible. So after firefighters extinguished the blaze here in the case, Saqib and Hashim were only identifiable through dental records. Yeah. Following the crash, Mahek and Ansreen, who were in the vehicle that tailed Saqib and Hashim... Wait, say that one more time. Sorry, I was thinking about a rap lyric.
Is it relevant? Do you want to tell us what it is? Is it jazzy? No, it's a Ghostface and Styles P song where he says, Tony Burnham and kick his teeth out so we don't catch no case.
Oh, God, Tank. I'm worried about you, buddy. My brain is just an encyclopedia of bullshit. Mine's an encyclopedia of psychopaths, hence the name psychopedia. Psychopedia. Yeah, so wait. Say it again about the trailing cars. Following the crash, Mahek and Ansreen, who were in the vehicle that relentlessly tailing Saqib and Hashim before they crashed, after the crash,
Mahek and Ansreen stayed around the area for about two hours before they finally headed home. So they were in their own car? That's correct. And the other six people were in another car? No, there were two cars. Yeah. So there were eight defendants altogether, four people in each car. Okay, got it. So the car that Mahek and Ansreen were in stuck around for two hours.
Right. Watching whatever happened. They saw the crash. Yeah. They stuck around for two hours and then they finally headed home. Gotcha. Approximately four hours after arriving back at their home in Stoke-on-Trent, the police showed up at their door. They began first by interviewing Mahek's brother about the Audi that was caught on CCTV. And while they were interviewing him, Mahek's phone records showed that she made a 14-minute call...
to somebody named Rais Jamal, who I mentioned earlier. Yeah. He's one of the alleged accomplices and the driver of the Seat Leon, allegedly, the one that was ramming into the back of Saqib and Hashim's car. So that car was ramming. That's correct. Now, Mahek and Rais, the driver of that car, had a 14-minute phone call. So we presume that perhaps they were coming up with a cover story. Oh, for sure. Yeah.
But they also have the texts from... Yeah, of course. There's loads of shit here that does not work favorably for Mahek and Anne Serene. There was a text at 4.07 that said, watch what I do to you. At 4.08, there was a massive crash. Yeah. Let's try and put the pieces of the puzzle together here. Not hard to do. Yeah. And when the police asked Mahek where she and her mother had been that night, Mahek lied and said that they were in Nottingham, which is about 54 miles away.
However, unbeknownst to them, CCTV footage caught Mahek's rented Audi car along with the Seat Leon dangerously pursuing Saqib and Hashim's vehicle. Yeah. So there's actual footage. And Serene Bukhari and Mahek Bukhari, mother and daughter and alleged partners in crime, were immediately arrested along with their six accomplices. Yeah. All eight suspects were charged with murder as all eight admitted to being in one of the two cars that pursued Saqib.
and Hashim that night. And data from all of their cell phones, by the way, confirmed the fact that they were all there. Yeah, it's not tough to put together. Right. At the time of her arrest, Mahek had her phone on her, which she indicated to law enforcement had just been purchased the previous month. When detectives seized the phone from Mahek to place it into evidence, what happened?
Pop quiz. A, Mahek intentionally entered the wrong PIN code so it wouldn't unlock. B, Mahek pretended to drop it on the ground before accidentally crushing it with a stiletto heel. C, Mahek claimed to belong to her mother, turned on her mother and threw her under the bus, saying that the phone was her mother's. You know what she should have done? Put the wrong passcode in like 15 times so it locks for 99 years. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.
Have your kids ever done that to you? Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. Oh, yeah. You see it coming. You're like, locked for 15 minutes. Okay, locked for half an hour. Fuck, locked for four hours. Oh, God. Yep. It gets bad fast. Okay, so I believe that she threw her mother under the bus. No. Really? Really. I mean, this girl is...
the stupidest person alive if she pretended to drop it and stepped on it with stilettos heels. She didn't do that. She put the wrong passcode in? She did that. Yeah, but that's like... Idiotic. By five seconds? It's idiotic. She intentionally left off the last digit of the PIN code so that the police wouldn't be able to open the phone on the first time. Then the second time when they're like, repeat that password, she gave like a whole set of wrong numbers that time. Did they catch a niner in there? Yeah.
Good. That's good.
And this was the first of a long list of lies that Mahek later admitted feeding to detectives during her extensive interviews and during the actual trial that ensued. Because while in custody following her arrest and at her actual trial under oath, Mahek lied about the following things. And I'm going to give you a list. A list of things that she lied about. At trial and directly to police. A perjury list. That's correct.
She claimed she didn't call emergency services after seeing a car on the side of the A46 engulfed in flames because there was already emergency vehicles at the scene. The prosecution determined that was a lie. Prosecution Maury, why'd you say it like that? That's why I said it like that. Very good. You are a liar. Yeah.
The DNA test or the lie detector test determined that was a lie. What a disaster of a show. When the prosecutor, a man named Collingwood Thompson Casey, henceforth referred to as Mr. Thompson, when he asked Mahek why she told that lie, Mahek said, I was just annoyed that I didn't call the ambulance myself.
And just a little side note, no one called emergency services. Oh. None of the eight people involved called for help. I'm not taking anybody's side, but like if you're involved in a high-speed chase where you were going to attack the people and they crash, you're kind of in a bad spot. You're getting out of dodge. Yeah. Yeah.
You're a piece of shit. Yeah, I can't. But you've been a piece of shit for a while. Yeah, but you're a piece of shit anyway, so don't... Exactly. It's not like it started when you didn't call. Right. Just get these guys help, man. Yeah.
Two, second lie. In her fictional account about what happened that night on the road, Mahek lied and claimed that Saqib and Hashim's car was the one ramming into the back of the Seattle Leon before losing control and crashing. Yeah, and they were doing it. We were driving backwards, so they were ramming into the front of our car with the back of their car. The prosecution determined that was a lie.
Wow. Yeah. Sorry, it was a movie I saw. I was... Confused. Fast and Furious? I don't know. Yeah. Third lie.
Yeah.
Okay. Yeah, the prosecution determined that was a lie. The Audi has pretty decent tracking software, which detailed where the vehicle was going at all points in question. Yeah. Furthermore, license plate numbers were automatically detected on the highway, proving that her car was there. And wasn't it a rental? Yes, and it was a rental. Yeah, I mean, those things, if you, God forbid, you get a toll in one of those things on a toll road, it's like they find you.
Yeah. They know what's going on. Fourth lie. Mahek claimed to investigators that Saqib had threatened to kill her father and brother in a message on the night of the crash. The prosecution determined that was a lie, but Mahek claimed that he had indeed threatened to kill them at an earlier point, like that week. Yeah. But she just only changed the timeline a little bit to say that it happened that night. Yeah. This girl is in way over her head. Big time. Big
Big time. So we're almost done here going through the lies, poking holes. There's five lies. Seven. I'm on number five right now. Okay. Mahek said that she had never seen a balaclava in her life during her cross-examination by the prosecutor. But all the accomplices with whom she was with stated that they had indeed been wearing balaclavas that night. And DNA tests further proved that many of the defendants had been wearing said balaclavas.
For those of you who don't commit crime, snowboard, or ski, a balaclava is something that goes over your head and face. And only your eyes are exposed. Yes. Right. And the prosecution determined that was a lie. Further, CCTV footage showed Mahex Audi, in which she was riding, being driven by somebody wearing a balaclava. And the TT itself had a balaclava on it. That's correct. Sixth.
At the trial, a portion of the police interview between Mahek and detectives the night of her arrest revealed that Mahek told officers she'd heard loud music blaring from the silver car before it crashed, which is Saqib's car. But when the prosecution played the harrowing call that Saqib made to emergency services during the car chase, there clearly had not been any music at all playing. What would it matter if there was loud music playing? She claims that
That's why she was chasing him? Turn on your music! No, that they crashed because they had loud, glaring music on. Oh. Right? All you could hear on the 999 call was a terrified man begging for his life. Maybe they turned it down to make the call, and then once they got off, they started blasting Pantera again. No, Tank. The prosecution determined that was a lie. I'm joking. And?
And the last lie here that was ultimately revealed is that Mahek claimed that she only met Saqib one time in London in December of 2021 and that she had no idea about her mother's affair with him until that point. But witnesses placed Mahek at a party in Banbury with Saqib and Ansreen back in May of 2021.
In which they were openly hugging and kissing before going into a bedroom together. This is Ansreen and Saqib. Yeah. So the prosecution determined that was a lie. Okay. All right. A lot of lies. Now, during the trial, Mahek and Ansreen were questioned not only by the Leicestershire Crown Court prosecutor, but also by the various other attorneys representing their six accomplices. Mm-hmm. Then...
Plot twist. After 26 days of thorough testimony and evidence presentation during trial... Oh, my God. ...and just over six weeks since the accused were first sworn in... Tell me. ...what happened? Pop quiz? Pop quiz. You tell me. Oh, fuck. A. Anne Serene struck a plea deal and accepted full responsibility in exchange for her daughter's acquittal. Okay. B. The judge dismissed all 12 jurors, causing an immediate mistrial. Hmm. C. The judge dismissed
Mahek appealed to her huge social media following to protest her innocence outside the courthouse. She appealed to her social media following? No. Okay, good. Because it's not even that many. Like four people would show up. Okay, it's not many to you. But realistically, 130,000 people, you ask that many people to show up somewhere where you're accused of something heinous?
You're not getting a good turnout unless you are Logan Paul, but Logan Paul doesn't have 130,000 followers. Right. So the mom took full responsibility. No. Wow. I am fucking sucking at these. The judge dismissed all 12 jurors. So on December 22nd, 2022, Justice Seney announced that the jury had collapsed and he was discharging all 12 jurors.
The case had been nearing the very end of the evidence with the seventh defendant just about ready to give her version of events. And then after her, there was only one more person left for the witness box. Now, there are restrictions on how much can be revealed regarding why the jurors were all dismissed. What does the jury collapsed mean? They dismissed it. He dissolved it. He let them go of their duty. Okay. Okay. And it's very like,
guarded why that happened. But the judge authorized the media to report that there was a quote, irregularity in the jury pool. Now, a jury irregularity is anything that may prevent a juror or the whole jury from remaining faithful to their oath, which is to faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence.
So there are speculations like maybe somebody in the jury pool, like, I don't know, had some kind of inside connection. Followed her. Yeah, exactly. But there's no, I can't speak to what actually happened there. The judge ordered a retrial to commence in 2023, which as of the time of this recording is now officially underway. Okay. And we're maybe about day 29 or so. Into the new trial. Yes.
Right now? Yes. Oh, shit. All eight defendants who initially stood trial last year still deny the charges. And all the evidence is being presented again. And all the defendants are reappearing in the witness box. Mahek has already taken the stand. And at the time of this recording, or actually the time I kind of prepped this case, she was on day five of her testimony. Wow. She may be done by this point. Five days of testimony? Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Off the bat in this new trial, both Mahek and Ansreen have admitted to lying under oath during the first trial after swearing on the Quran at their first trial. Wow. Mahek admitted to all of the lies that I previously laid out and Ansreen lied about never having had any other affairs apart from the one she was having with Saqib because apparently she had an affair with another man as well, which she has since admitted to. So her first trial, she claimed,
she'd only ever had an affair with him and now second trial she's admitting that she's had other affairs. You better start telling the truth. Well, in the UK perjury carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment. It can also just be punishable by a fine. But these women Is that a lot? Well,
What's that? Is that a lot of years for perjury? No, but I'm just saying you're risking jail time. Oh, perjury is illegal in... Absolutely. Yeah, but how much time do you get in the United States? Oh, I don't know offhand that. No, no, I don't know offhand. Oh, okay. I'm just saying it's just incredible to me how many lies these women are telling when perjury is no small thing. No.
Mahek also suggested that Saqib intentionally crashed his car that night to kill himself. Oh, yeah. On the stand, she testified that Saqib was, quote, psychotic.
and even suggested to detectives at the time of her arrest that he would do anything because of his, like, mental unhealth. But then the prosecutor, Mr. Thompson, asked Mahek why she made that suggestion to officers that he'd kill himself. And she said, because he's the type. He sent messages where he tried to gain attention from my mom to kill himself. And Mr. Thompson said, but what you were suggesting was untrue. And Mahek said, yeah.
It's like you can't believe a thing that comes out of her mouth. No. I feel like the jury has a very easy job here. And it's not even like... Listen, something horrific has happened. Your mom did something that put her in a bad spot with a guy who made the spot worse. She brought you into it. And now you're almost coming across as like the worst person in the whole case. Absolutely. Because you're not... Like something terrible happened. Two people lost their lives and you're like, yeah, he was...
I think he was, I think he hit a banana peel on the A46 and that like, what the fuck? I mean, it's just as ludicrous. What are you talking about? Right.
So Mahek and Ansreen are on trial for murder versus manslaughter, both of which constitute homicide in the UK. Yeah. Intent is what matters. Murder and manslaughter both fall under the banner of homicide because they both involve the death of a human being. Yet the two crimes are slightly different. The law is very nuanced, but ultimately it all comes down to the issues of intent and responsibility. The key questions that must be asked are, did the accused intend to kill or
Yeah.
personally have no doubt that they were directly involved in the deaths of Sakim and Hashim. Yeah. But I do question whether their intent was to kill versus engaging in grossly negligent conduct that ran the risk of death, which constitutes manslaughter. So this is what I'm saying. It's very nuanced. So they're trying to get them...
On murder charges. Correct, yes. Yeah, that's probably not a smart move. Now, in either event, they certainly should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, whatever their convictions wind up being, assuming they even are convicted.
This case also calls into question the notion of grooming that I'm just going to raise here because it's popped up in my research. And the fact that a then 41-year-old woman started a sexual relationship with a then 18-year-old man. Now, legally, there's no issue with the age difference.
But this case for some in my research is problematic and feels a bit icky. And it calls into question the possibility that Saqib was groomed by this much older woman who manipulated him and then quite literally discarded him when she was, you know, done with him and when he started to cause a problem. It was three years. Right.
Others feel that answering was well within her right to end the relationship when she wanted to. So he was an adult, albeit a freshly minted one. Yeah. And that his reaction to the breakup was out of line and it sparked a chain reaction that led to an incredibly tragic outcome that nobody wanted or saw coming. I'm in that camp. Yeah. As the prosecution has indicated, this case involves a story of love, obsession, extortion, and ultimately murder.
While we cannot say with certainty at this time who was to blame for the horrifically tragic deaths of two young men, it certainly seems obvious, at least from where I sit, that harming Saqib was no accident.
I know where I fall on the issue, but what will count in the end, of course, is where the new jury will fall. Yeah. Until then, our dear listeners, we're going to continue to monitor this case and we will provide updates as they arise. But this is the case you requested, Tank. And I am glad I did. Yeah? Wait, this isn't the first case I requested. No, I said this is the... No, no, I think I said this is the first case. This is the second case you requested. The first one was Lorena Bobbitt. Yeah, I wanted to know what happened. Yeah, I know, and I told you. And I...
Thank you.
Yeah, you're a good person to ask questions. If I ask you what happened in a situation, you're going to give me an hour-long answer. Like a full dissertation. Yeah. Well, what happened with this TikTok influencer case? Why don't you have a seat? Oh, my God. Were you just asking me? No. Like shooting the shit and I presented a whole episode about it? No, I wanted it to be an episode. I think it's interesting. I think it's timely, relevant, and I think it's actually an interesting case because...
There's a lot of moving pieces to it. And these poor kids died as a result of
Listen, did they chase him with the intent of him to crash into a tree? Probably not. But if you're standing on the edge of a cliff with someone and you push them to make them laugh or mess with them and they fall... You're responsible. Especially if you texted somebody before that and said, I'm going to push Ricky at the end of the fucking cliff to see what happens. It's going to be funny. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah. So...
I mean, I don't know if they go for murder charges and they don't stick, can it be reduced to manslaughter during the case or if you go for murder and it's not murder? No, it can be reduced. It's over. Yeah, it can be reduced. I have to be honest.
As you know, I've been like working on this case for a little while and I went back and forth because at times I was like, you know what, this isn't like my, my vibe. No, this is good. But, but I have to tell you, there were so many more layers to this case than I thought. This is why you shouldn't make snap judgments, right? Because I like my cursory glance at this case was like, it's not interesting. Like, and then I saw that it was like two young men that were killed, which I did not realize sort of off the bat.
Yep. Once I heard that people were killed, I was like, well, I need to know what happened. You know, then you started kind of just like peeling back all these layers and the legal aspect I think is fascinating always. So in the end, I think it was a good suggestion. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. No, thank you for saying it was a good suggestion. And then thank you for doing the research on it. You're welcome. My pleasure, as always. But mostly, thank you to our listeners. Yeah, and thanks for bringing cash. But mostly, thanks to the listeners for continuing to ride this crazy train with us, this true crime. This one was more interesting than it was stomach turning, which was good for a change. Yeah, I'm more of the... I'm cut from the stomach turning cloth myself. Yeah, if it's... I like a good depraved wacko.
But yeah, this was interesting nevertheless. Yeah, if your stomach doesn't hurt, it's a waste of time in your opinion. But hopefully the listeners don't feel that way. And if you do, give us a shout on the email psychopediapod at gmail.com or Instagram psychopediapod. And here comes that intro music. We will see you on the next episode. It's the outro music. Bye, everyone. Bye.