Murdered Aamir Siddiqi’s sister tells suspect ‘you’re not really free’

The grieving sister of a schoolboy stabbed to death in his own house in a mistaken identity hit has told a fugitive wanted in connected with his murder to “stop looking over his shoulder” and hand himself in.

It is 15 years since 17-year-old Aamir Siddiqi was attacked in front of his parents and two hitmen were convicted of his murder – but the man suspected of ordering the killing is still on the run.

Mohammed Ali Ege is one of Europe’s most wanted men and Aamir’s sister has appealed to him, telling him he’s “not free” and always “worried about slipping up”.

“He’s got a family, he’s got a mum and none of them are seeing him this is not living,” said Nishat Siddiqi.

Her younger brother Aamir thought he was opening the door to a teacher when he was stabbed to death in a frenzied drug-fuelled attack by contract killers Jason Richards and Ben Hope.

The two heroin addicts were paid £1,000 to kill an innocent businessman and father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street in Cardiff in an act of revenge over a property deal that turned sour.

But, in what the prosecution described as “staggering incompetence”, Richards and Hope went to the wrong house in the Roath area of the Welsh capital.

The bright, ambitious student, who wanted to read law at Cardiff University, had turned down a game of football with his mates and was revising for his A-level exams upstairs at his home when the doorbell rang.

Aamir innocently answered his door, expecting to see his local imam for a Koran lesson, but was confronted by two balaclava-clad knifemen fuelled up on heroin who pushed their way in and stabbed him to death before he could say a word.

Richards and Hope were sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years each in jail for killing Aamir in April 2010, but the man who detectives suspect ordered the contract killing fled the country.

Ege, suspected of conspiracy to commit murder, was arrested in India in 2011.

But after a six-year extradition process, he went back on the run by escaping through a railway station toilet window and now eight years later is believed to be in the Middle East.

“He’s not truly free,” Nishat told the BBC Sounds podcast Making Of A Fugitive.

“He’s on the run, always looking over his shoulder, always worried about whether or not he’s going to slip up.”

South Wales Police have previously offered a £10,000 reward for any information that may lead to the arrest of the fugitive known as Wales’ most wanted man.

“If you’re innocent, you’ve got nothing to fear and you should come back home to clear your name,” added consultant cardiologist Nishat, 48.

“You might think you’re free because you escaped from police custody and have been on the run for years, but you’ve condemned yourself to a life of exile on the run, far from home.”

Nishat, who is 16 years older than Aamir, also hopes her appeal on Making Of A Fugitive may urge someone to shop Ege to the authorities.

“Somebody somewhere might listen,” she said.

“If they know something and if they feel in their heart of hearts that they really ought to speak up then maybe this might inspire them to do just that.

“As a family we have suffered the kind of grief, shock and horror that never really leaves you. And in a weird way he’s living that with us because he’s not truly free.”

Nishat still keeps her younger brother’s wallet, reads his social media posts and keeps in touch with his old friends, like best mate Saeed Kidwai.

On the day he was murdered, Saeed had asked Aamir to play five-a-side football but he chose to stay home to study for his A-level exams later that summer.

“I remember the match finished at 1:40pm and I later found out he passed away at 1:40pm,” he remembered.

It’s one of the sliding door “what if” moments that haunt Aamir’s family and friends.

It was the end of the school term and Saeed recalled: “Just before he left he went around to a lot of the boys and he was like ‘oh boys let me take a selfie with you because that’ll be the last time I see you probably before I go to university’.”

Saeed did not have a picture, adding: “I was like ‘I’ll see you on the weekend or something’.

“I never thought in like a million years that would be the last time I’d see him,” he said.

“I feel I’ve had a whole chapter of my life, graduating and getting married but my wife has never met him, my son will never meet him. How do I keep that memory alive?”

Saeed took his baby son to meet Aamir’s parents Iqbal and Parveen, who were also injured in the attack.

“His mum was so affectionate and loving and his dad just held him for ages and it was really emotional for me to see,” recalled Saeed.

“I thought this doesn’t feel real. I still feel like I’m 17 or 18 in my heart and I’m still waiting for him to pop around the corner,” he said.

“His number is still the first number I have in my phone book, because it’s two A’s in his first name. I still can’t delete it.

Aamir’s family love seeing his old friends grow into adults with families of their own and careers.

“It’s so wonderful to see,” said Nishat. “It also makes me so feel so sad because that should have been my brother as well.”

Aamir’s family found it hard to remain living in the same house after his death and they’ve since left Cardiff.

“We kept his clothes in his cupboard, his toys, everything for months on end,” said Nishat.

“We even put on one of his jumpers because it smelt of him.

“There’s a photograph of Aamir when he was enjoying his second birthday party, drinking some squash, and he’s standing at the exact spot where he died.

“That’s probably why we found it hard to live in the house again because the house was full of very happy memories.”

South Wales Police praised the dignity of Aamir’s family throughout such a traumatic ordeal and said they remain committed to tracing and arresting Ege.

“We would ask anyone who has information about his whereabouts to please get in touch – for Aamir’s family,” the police statement added.

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