The mastermind behind an armed robbery on a travel agency in 2005 has been convicted of the murder of a police officer trying to intervene.
Piran Ditta Khan, 75, fled to Pakistan two months after the ill-fated raid on the Universal Express travel agency firm in Bradford on Nov. 18, 2005 but was finally tracked down in 2020 and later extradited to Britain.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky, and her colleague PC Teresa Milburn, were unarmed when they came across the robbery and were shot at point-blank range as they emerged from the Universal Express shop.
PC Beshenivsky, 38, suffered fatal injuries while PC Milburn, who was shot in the chest, survived.
PC Beshenivsky left behind three children and two step-children and the shooting took place on her youngest daughter’s fourth birthday.
PC Milburn told detectives investigating the robbery the pair “didn’t have a chance” and said they would have run away if the gunman had threatened them or given them any warning.
Six other men, including those who took part in the robbery and the one who fired the fatal shots, have been convicted in connection with PC Beshenivsky’s death.
Muzzaker Shah and Yusuf Jama were convicted of murder in 2006. Shah, Yusuf Jama and his brother Mustaf Jama, were armed and it is believed Shah fired the fatal shots.
Hassan Razzaq and Faisal Razzaq were convicted of manslaughter at the same trial.
Killers Extradited from Somalia and Pakistan
Mustaf Jama, who had fled to Somalia, was extradited and was jailed for life for murder in 2009.Khan fled the UK in January 2006 and was arrested by Pakistani police 14 years later. He was finally extradited last year and went on trial earlier this year.
He admitted to robbery but denied murder, but on Thursday jury found him guilty. He faces a life sentence.
Khan was also convicted of two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.
Prosecutor Robert Smith, KC, said Khan knew loaded firearms were to be used and was guilty of the murder, “as surely as if he had pulled the trigger on that pistol himself.”
Khan, who ran a takeaway restaurant, had used Universal Express to send money to family in Pakistan and thought they would have thousands of pounds on the premises.
Mr. Smith said Khan was the gang’s ringleader and played a “pivotal” role in the robbery, even though he never left his car and acted only as a lookout on the day.
During the trial, Khan claimed the owner of Universal Express, Mohammad Yousaf, owed him £12,000 and said one of the robbers, Hassan Razzaq, had offered to get his money back.
Khan’s Defence Claim ‘Entirely False’
Mr. Smith told the jury Khan’s claim of being defrauded was “entirely false.”The trial heard that on the eve of the robbery, the gang stayed in a house in Leeds and Francois Baron, who was working on the building, later told police he had heard them planning the raid.
Mr. Baron said he heard gunman Muzzaker Shah asking Khan, “Uncle, is it safe?”
Khan was heard to reply, “Yes, it’s safe. Genuine.”
Shah asked, “How much can we get?”
Khan replied, “Minimum £50,000, maximum target 100 grand.”
Shah and the others were elated and shouted, “Let’s go do it.”
That night, the gang drank champagne and vodka and visited a brothel.
The next day, when the gang arrived at Universal Express they demanded £100,000 and then said they would not leave without £50,000.
Mr. Yousaf’s son Waqas, told them he did not have that much and secretly pressed an alarm which alerted the police.
PC Beshenivsky and PC Milburn, who were just finishing their shift, were unfortunate enough to be the officers who responded to the alert.
The robbers shouted, “the Feds are here” and fled with a paltry £5,400.
Shah shot the two officers as they approached the travel agency.
After the verdict, Detective Superintendent Marc Bowes said, “This verdict is the culmination of 18 years of hard work, tenacious grit and determination to bring Khan before the courts.”
