Blaze police in new plea over suspect

On the anniversary of the blaze in Osborne Road, Birkby, Huddersfield, detectives are appealing to friends and associates of Shahid Mohammed to tell them where he is. Just before 2am on May 12, 2002, a major fire at the house lead to the deaths of eight members of the Chisti family.

Muhammad Ateeq-ur-Rehman, 18, Nefessa Aziz, 35, Tayyaba Batool, 13, Rabia Batool, 10, Ateeqa Nawaz, five, Aneesa Nawaz, two, and six-month-old Najeeba Nawaz all died in the fire. Zaib-un-Nisa, 54, died in hospital a week later on May 19.

In July 2003, three men were convicted for their part in the crime.

Shahid Mohammed, then aged 20, was also arrested in connection with the investigation. He was released on bail but fled and is believed to have left the country, possibly going to Pakistan.

Det Supt Sukhbir Singh of West Yorkshire Police the Chisti family had lived with the fact that not every person responsible for what happened in May 2002 had been brought to justice. The police were determined to trace Shahid Mohammed, he added.