Moment street racers who killed man on Cheshire road are arrested at Manchester Airport

This is the moment two ‘selfish’ street racers who fled the country before they could be jailed for causing the death of a motorcyclist were arrested at Manchester Airport. Osama Saeed, 32, and Asgar Taj, 35, absconded after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving on the A34 in Wilmslow last year and were sentenced in their absence. In bodycam footage, the two bearded men can be seen being read their rights by a female police officer who tells them there is a warrant out for their arrest.

They now face having to serve the 12-year jail term after being held by cops as they landed at Manchester Airport from Dubai. Saeed was driving an Audi RS3 while Taj was riding a Suzuki motorbike on the A34 near Wilmslow, Cheshire, when fellow racer Asad Rashid, 34, suffered fatal injuries. They admitted causing his death in the horror crash – which happened in September 2020 – but pair fled the county in October 2023 before they could be sentenced.

A third defendant, Mohammad Chaudhry, 31, who also pleaded guilty to the offence, remains outstanding and enquiries to locate him are ongoing, police said. During their sentencing, the court was told how the the trio had all travelled to Cheshire on September 15, 2020 to take part in a race. Victim Asad Rashid, from Bradford, was also part of the group.

Video footage obtained from a truck driver showed the group used a set of traffic lights as a starting flag, racing off as soon as the lights changed. The vehicles were out of sight within seconds and showed the intent of all four drivers to win the race, Cheshire Police said. The race came to a fatal end when all of the men crashed into the middle of a roundabout, narrowly missing other road users.

Chaudhry’s Audi R8 hit first, tearing off the underside of the engine flying through the roundabout central core to end up 135 meters further down the A34. The two motorbikes and the Audi RS3 then hit the roundabout at about the same time and the riders became unseated from their bikes as they hit the roundabout. Taj sustained a number of serious injuries including a included a fracture to his right arm and fractures to his left foot.

He has since recovered from the incident. Rashid was struck by the RS3 as it hit the central reservation becoming trapped by the vehicle, he passed away at the scene as a result of his injuries. Shocked motorists told how Taj was seen deleting the Instagram app from his phone as he lay injured in the carriageway in a bid to destroy incriminating evidence.

Police later found an array of ‘Trophy videos’ on Chaudhury’s phone showing him and pals driving at ‘unbelievable’ speeds on roads across the country, police said. One video showed him driving at 139mph in a 40mph zone in a built-up area near a school. A further video was found showing Chaudhury driving at 192mph on a motorway and bragging with others while driving his Audi R8.

During sentencing, Judge Macadam said the men had deliberately absconded and ‘had done everything they could to avoid the consequences of their actions. Following the arrest, Inspector Steve Griffiths said: “As this result demonstrates, we will not give up. If you commit a crime in Cheshire, you will be arrested and you will be held accountable.”

Following the sentencing Sergeant Andrew Dennison said: “Taj, Chaudhury and Saeed all came to Cheshire with Rashid knowing they were coming to race on the roads around Cheshire. “As a result of the selfish and dangerous actions taken that night, four families have been torn apart. Rashid is now dead, while Chaudhry, Saeed and Taj have all been handed significant prison sentences.

“None of the men have shown any remorse for their actions, and that fact that they failed to attend the hearing today demonstrates a total lack of accountability.

“While, Rashid was not wholly innocent, he did not deserve to die and if anything can be achieved from this case, I hope it acts as a warning to others and prevents any needless collisions like this from occurring again.”

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