Fire tragedy home had been burgled

Nov 8 2012

Police have said that the home where a mother and her five children were killed by a fire was burgled on the night of the tragedy.

Sabah Usmani, her sons Sohaib, 11, and Rayyan, six, and daughter Hira, 13, died in Barn Mean, Harlow, Essex, on October 15. A third son, Muneeb, nine, and daughter Maheen, three, died later in hospital.

Essex Police now say they believe there was a burglary at the property on the night of the fire in which a laptop belonging to the children's father and the only member of the family to survive the fire, Abdul Shakoor, was stolen.

Detective Superintendent Rob Vinson said he wants to speak to a teenage boy and young girl who were seen throwing a laptop bag away near the family home.

Officers originally said they suspected the fire was an arson attack but later claimed no accelerant had been found at the scene. Police have now confirmed scientists found no evidence of a flammable liquid being used.