7 chilling clues in unsolved murder of mum & her 5 young kids in house fire – including mystery cyclist & missing laptop
Date: 2024-10-21POLICE have issued a fresh appeal after a mum and her five young children were murdered in a deliberate house fire.
Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, her daughters Hira, 12, and Maheen, three, and sons Sohaib, 11, Muneeb, nine and Rayyan, six, all died in the horror.
Dad Dr Abdul Shakoor was the only survivor after the blaze ripped through their terraced home in Harlow, Essex.
The family were sleeping at the time on October 15, 2012, with Dr Abdul able to escape from an upstairs window.
Essex Police launched a murder probe named Operation Shakespeare but no one has ever been brought to justice.
They have now released a fresh plea for information 12 years on from the arson attack.
Officers are hoping to shed light on seven key lines of enquiry – including the whereabouts of a missing laptop.
The black Toshiba Satellite was taken from the family home in a burglary but has never been found.
Police say its lead and bag were later recovered near to the scene between Whitewaits and St Michael’s Close.
In a strange twist, the lead had a shaver adaptor plug attached to it that did not belong to the tragic family.
Officers are also hoping to track down a man on a bicycle seen in the area at the time of the fire.
He has been described as white and aged in his late teens/early 20s.
The horror unfolded at around 1.40am as the fire took hold of the downstairs of the terraced property.
A silver Ford Focus was also set alight at the same time close to the house.
Police launched a huge murder probe – with 500 people coming forward with information.
A month after the horror, a person called Harlow police station from a phone box and left a message about the fire but they have never been traced.
That same month, a piece of paper about the fire was left on a shelf in Boots in Harlow.
Police have not revealed what was said in the phonecall or written on the note.
7 chilling clues surrounding horror blaze
ESSEX Police have released these key pieces of information they are trying to solve.
- A white man aged in his late teens/early 20s on a bicycle seen in the area when the house and car were set alight. It is thought he could be a key witness.
- The family laptop, a black Toshiba Satellite, which was taken from the house in a burglary. This has not been located. Do you know where the laptop is or was?
- The laptop was fitted with a two-pin lead because it was bought in Saudi Arabia. The laptop bag and lead were later recovered near to the scene between Whitewaits and St Michael’s Close. Did you see these items being dumped or did you notice any suspicious activity in these areas at the time?
- Attached to the laptop lead was a shaver adapter plug. This did not belong to the Shakoor family which suggests someone tried to use the plug. Did you have a shaver plug missing from your home at the time?
- Do you know anything about the silver Ford Focus which was set alight?
- In November 2012 a person rang Harlow police station from a phone box and left a message about the fire. Are you that person? Please contact us.
- Also in November 2012 a piece of paper about the murder investigation was left on a shelf in Boots in Harlow. Did you leave that piece of paper?
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Dr Shakoor lives with the unimaginable pain of losing his entire family; a wife who he had planned to grow old with; children who he imagined growing up and going on to do great things.
“But that future was taken from him exactly 12 years ago. For 12 years, no one has faced justice for what happened but I remain committed to changing that.â€
“I have met with Dr Shakoor and I see his unwavering determination to see someone – or some people – held accountable for his family’s deaths. I am committed to doing all we can to give him that.
“No case is ever closed, and this investigation has been regularly reviewed to identify new lines of enquiry. Securing justice for Dr Shakoor remains our determined aim and I remain very confident the answers to this absolute tragedy lie within the Harlow community.â€
Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
