The Newshound

14 years on, police are still hunting killer behind house fire that wiped out a mother and her five children in one night

Dr Abdul Shakoor's family, wiped out when a deliberately lit fire killed his wife Dr Sabah Usmani and their five children in Harlow on 15 October 2012.
Dr Abdul Shakoor's family, wiped out when a deliberately lit fire killed his wife Dr Sabah Usmani and their five children in Harlow on 15 October 2012.
Essex Police have made a direct plea to an anonymous correspondent who once wrote to detectives with potentially significant information about the Barn Mead blaze.
Essex Police have made a direct plea to an anonymous correspondent who once wrote to detectives with potentially significant information about the Barn Mead blaze.

Essex Police detectives have made a direct plea to an anonymous letter-writer who sent potentially significant details about the 2012 Barn Mead fire in Harlow, which killed Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, and her five children: Hira, 12, Sohaib, 11, Muneeb, nine, Rayyan, six, and three-year-old Maheen. Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe said the letter showed the knowledge had 'weighed heavily' on its author, adding: 'I want to speak directly to that person again.'

Operation Shakespeare has involved more than 70 officers and staff since the October 2012 blaze.

'Relationships change, loyalties change,' Metcalfe said, urging those once unwilling to talk to come forward now.

Crimestoppers takes anonymous tips, while Metcalfe insists Dr Shakoor, who lost his whole family, 'deserves answers'.

MoreEssex PoliceHarlow house fire: 14 years on - Essex Police
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