Harlow House Fire Remains UNSOLVED - £20k Appeal & Reward - Wife and Children Slaughtered by Arson Attack
Harlow House Fire Remains UNSOLVED - £20k Appeal & Reward - Wife and Children Slaughtered by Arson Attack
Harlow, Essex 15th October 2012
Dr Abdul Shakoor was a Pakistani immigrant living in the small English town of Harlow when on the 15th of October 2012 he lost his wife and five children in a house fire ruled by Essex Police as an arson attack.
To date, the crime remains unsolved.
The blaze ripped through the house in the early hours of the morning while the Shakoor family slept and robbed a hard-working and successful man of his entire family.
The victims were Dr Shakoor’s wife and five children:
· Muneeb (aged nine)
· Rayyan (aged six)
· Hira (aged twelve)
· Sohain (aged eleven)
· Maheen (aged three)
· And the doctor’s wife Sabah Usmani
Dr Shakoor managed to survive but fought hard trying to save his family and escaped the fire with burn-related injuries that were treated in the nearby Chelmsford Hospital (a neighbouring city).
The family had originally moved to the UK in 2009 and to Harlow the year before the fire in 2011.
The fire started in the lounge of the three-bedroom end-terraced house. The evidence suggests a malicious ignition according to Essex police and detectives had tied the fire to a burglary at the house on the same day of the fire (Dr. Shakoor’s laptop was stolen).
The fire took place at around 1.30 am and as well as damaging the entire house; a Silver Ford Focus parked nearby was also set alight around the same time.
The event made national news that same day and Essex Police have not stopped searching for answers.
It has always been speculated by the Police that the cause of the fire was a robbery which had either gone array or escalated into arson. However, that would be letting any possible perpetrators off easy and let’s make it clear now that this is a murder which has caused the death of six innocent victims, five of whom were children.
Whether intended or not, cold-blooded murder exists, having taken place inside the comfort of someone’s own home.
Now, I do not wish to draw any speculations on Dr Shakoor, who has suffered more than any living soul can imagine and I strongly believe doing so would be unfair and disrespectful.
Dr Shakoor was lucky to escape the fire after managing to jump from the upstairs window and was believed to have had to be restrained from re-entering the house as his family burned inside. Dr Shakoor was treated for burns at the burn ward of Broomfield Hospital.
Dr Shakoor and his family were new residents to the street of Barn Mead and there has been rampant speculation about the previous owner. The talk of the town since the fire was that it was an intended assassination attempt on the former tenant. The former tenant was allegedly a “dodgy bloke” (and again this is purely gossip and hearsay) involved in drug debts with many local dealers. There has been rampant talk that he was the intended target on the night in question.
"Gangster Tenant"
As the Daily Mail reports a neighbour (Chris Day) was quoted as saying about the FORMER TENANT (in true tabloid fashion):
'This guy looked like a proper dodgy bloke and he had a bull mastiff that he used to walk around the neighbourhood.
'He looked like a gangster type - the kind of person you wouldn’t want to cross. I think he was a cage fighter - he certainly was that build.
'I’ve been told he dealt drugs which would make sense as I used to see dodgy people go in and out of the house all the time when this guy lived there about a year or two ago.
'When I saw the fire I thought this must have been a revenge attack that went wrong.
'Maybe this guy owed someone money and they came to the house not knowing he’d moved.'
Conclusions could be drawn from the laptop theft and nearby burning of the Ford Focus. However; this line of investigation from Essex Police has not brought much fruit thus far.
To date, there have been more than 70 Police Officers and Staff working on the investigation with nearly 500 witness statements and 1800 exhibits collected and stored and yet no conclusive charging of any suspects. The fire remains fresh in many of the residents of Barn Mead, Harlow and the fear that a similar attack could come to them in the dead of night looms heavy on the town.
Major Lines of Enquiry:
A white male in their late teens/early 20s was seen on a bicycle in the area when the house and car were set ablaze. They could be a key witness.
The family laptop, a black Toshiba Satellite was taken from the house during the burglary. This to date has yet to be located but the current owner could lead to whoever had taken the laptop.
The laptop was fitted with a two-pin lead because it was purchased in Saudi Arabia.
The bag and lead to the laptop were later recovered near the scene in a neighbouring area.
Questions arise as to why the Silver Ford Focus was set alight around the same time as the house fire.
Somebody called the local Harlow police station from a phone box and left a message about the fire. The person was anonymous.
A piece of paper about the murder investigation was later found in a local drugstore (Boots) in Harlow. The owner of the paper was never found.
There were four youths seen within the area at the time of the murders. They were all wearing tracksuits and baseball caps and aged in their teens.
The police have ruled out and maintained the ruling out of a racially motivated attack and although the victims were of Pakistani origin there is nothing to speculate on this being the reason behind the fire.
The police have also stated that there is nothing to suggest a serial arsonist, as the area and small town of Harlow did not have any prior or follow-up house fires similar to this one to suggest a string of similar attacks.
So, we can determine that this was a singularly isolated incident.
What I can say about this incident is that we are nearly 10 years on and we do not have much information to go on. However; Harlow is a small town with a lot of whispers. Loyalties can change and do you want to be the person who is keeping quiet for somebody willing to set fire to a house in the dead of night with six residents inside?
Dr Shakoor came to this country for a chance for success, happiness and stability. He was a quiet and respectable member of the community that served others in his profession, and he now has to live a life filled with demons and grief. The least that this man deserves is closure. Because if something this horrific which can wipe out his entire family, can occur in a small, quiet, humble part of the world, within the safety of their own home and in the dead of the night – then it could happen to you.
If there is any information that can be shared (even if it is speculation) then I urge you to do so (full details are below).
"Every day I think about my wife and children, the pain has never disappeared.
"It is impossible to put into words the pain and grief I have endured at the loss of my entire family.
"I will never understand why somebody did this and I live in hope that someday someone may come forward with information." - Dr. Shakoor.
UPDATE March 2024 - BBC ARTICLE:
Det Ch Insp Louise Metcalfe said: "This was one of the most tragic events in Essex Police history - where a man has lost his entire family and has never got justice."
A total of seven people have been arrested in connection with the fire but none have ever been charged, Dr Ch Insp Metcalfe explained.
She said there were a number of key aspects in the case police were still seeing answers to, including:
A white male thought to be in his 20s was seen cycling away from the area. He has not come forward and police want to speak with him
Dr Shakoor's laptop, which had a two-pin plug, was taken and has never been found. Police want to locate it
A paper note about the fire was left in a Boots store in Harlow some time afterwards. Police want to speak with its author
Some days after the deaths, an anonymous caller rang Essex Police about the fire. Detectives want to know who that person was
Speaking to BBC, she said she strongly believed there were members of the public who were carrying vital information.
"Maybe their situation or loyalties have changed. Now is their time to speak as it's not too late. Dr Abdul Shakoor deserves to know what happened," she said.
Anyone with any information about the fire were asked to contact police or the independent charity Crimestoppers, which offered "up to" £20,000 for information leading to a conviction.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Operation Shakespeare investigation team on 01277 266869 or 0800 056 0944 or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Links:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-68609040
The property - https://themovemarket.com/tools/propertyprices/264-barn-mead-harlow-cm18-6su
Essex Police - https://www.essex.police.uk/police-forces/essex-police/areas/essex-police/au/about-us/cold-and-unsolved/the-shakoor-family/
Comments
Post a Comment