7:02 am, February 18, 2023
Police say they have received new information about a missing car dealer from Bradford who is believed to have been murdered.
Sajid Saddique went to a business meeting in Shipley on Valentine’s Day 2007 and was last seen in the car park of the town’s Asda supermarket in Manor Road about 10.20am that day.
Evidence in 2014 suggested that the married father-of-three from Allerton had been murdered and an investigation was launched by detectives from the Homicide and Major Inquiry Team.
Police made three arrests and a file was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration but the CPS decided there wasn’t enough evidence to charge anyone.
An inquest held in Bradford in 2020 was told the 32-year-old businessman had been in debt to the tune of £100,000 over a Lamborghini, reported Yorkshire Live.
It said Saddique had gone to the car park to meet a person who owed him ‘a significant sum of money’ and had said he’d pay him.
However, Saddique’s phones were switched off within minutes of him getting there.
His body is believed to have been disposed of in a missing metal trunk.
Assistant coroner Oliver Longstaff ruled that Saddique had been unlawfully killed.
The investigation has remained open since Saddique’s disappearance, with a dedicated team of officers conducting extensive inquiries.
Det Insp Paul Conroy, who is part of the Major Investigation Review Team, said this week: ‘It has been 16 years since the disappearance of Mr Saddique and we are committed to getting answers and closure for his family.
‘The investigation remains open and active lines of inquiries are still being carried out.’
He added: ‘We have received new information in the investigation and are acting on it.
‘No matter how long has past, West Yorkshire Police will never give up on getting answers on what happened to Mr Saddique.
‘His children have grown up without ever knowing their father, and we are determined to get justice for them and his family and to find the answers they so rightly deserve.
‘Our thoughts remain with the family of Mr Saddique, as his disappearance has had a devastating impact on them. We remain committed to getting answers for them.’
The Mirror quoted Saddique’s brother, Majid, as saying: ‘I am in bits. I sink myself in a hole every year when this time comes around.
‘The coroner has already said he is not alive. We just want answers now and 16 years have passed. It is not fair that we have not had justice.
‘Sajid was a family man. He loved his family and did a lot in the community. He was a hard-working businessman.
‘He was my big brother and best mate and my whole life has changed. It’s hard because everywhere I go I remember him.
‘He was a humble man and didn’t deserve this. Those babies have grown up without a father. We as a family have not rested and we will not until we get answers.’
In 2020, Sajid’s wife, Asma, told the Mirror: ‘I am trying to find peace with what happened. In our faith it is about forgiveness.
‘I hoped that maybe whoever is responsible could come forward and give me the information I need so I can find a resolution and find it in my heart to forgive them.
‘The feelings of hate will just consume you and make you bitter.’
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting crime ref 1307 0023 311. Information can also be given anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Picture: West Yorkshire Police
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