My wonderful cheeky lad: father pays tribute to 22-year-old BMW passenger killed in 140 mph M1 crash

 
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The father of a man who died in a 140mph “race” on the M1 today said he did not blame the drivers as he paid tribute to a “wonderful son”.

Gulzar Ahmed, 22, was a passenger in the car when it crashed killing him and close friend, named locally as Mizanur Rahman.

Six others were injured when two BMWs collided near Watford around 2.30am yesterday.

Mr Ahmed’s father told how his son had just finished a business studies course at Tower Hamlets College and was looking forward to his future.

Speaking at the family home in Stepney Green, east London, his father Nazrul, 63, paid tribute to a “cheeky lad”.

He said: “He was always smiling and joking, he was very cheeky. He had lots of friends and was very popular. He was always well turned out and took a pride in his appearance.”

The young man was a keen footballer as a youth and was looking for work after completing his college course.

He was the youngest of five children and was affectionately known as “the mummy’s and daddy’s boy” of the family, his father said.

“We are now grieving for our son. The community has been wonderful - people of all faiths have been to pay their respects.

“Everyone knew him and liked him. We will miss him so much. He stayed in quite a lot and was a nice family boy.”

On the accident he said the family harboured no ill-feeling. “It was an accident. We are not blaming anyone.”

Friends of the two dead men told of their shock and also paid tribute to the victims.

One friend, also called Mizanur Rahman, director of the Twydall Tandoori restaurant in Gillingham, Kent, said: “They were great guys. I used to have a laugh with them. I saw Mizanur two months ago and then today I saw this story about the crash. It’s shocking.”

Mr Rahman, from Tower Hamlets, was driving the BMW in which Mr Ahmed died. Both cars were wrecked beyond recognition.

A former school friend of Mr Rahman, who went to Stepney Green School and went by the nickname “Muzza”, said: “We are hoping the bodies will be released soon so there can be an Islamic burial, and his family hope that will happen too. Mizanur was a jolly guy who was just like any of us. We were a good group of friends. He wasn’t into racing.”

Police said the two dead men had not yet been formally identified but they were aged 22 and 24 and both from east London.

A 25-year-old man, believed to be the driver of the second BMW, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The man, from east London, was later released on bail.

A relative of one of the other men involved in the crash, who escaped without serious injury, said: “They (Mizanur and Guljar) were lovely guys and good family men. We are all very upset. Mizanur had a baby daughter and this is a terrible thing that has happened.”

Witnesses said the two cars “appeared to be having a high-speed race”.

Basit Nasir told the Evening Standard that the BMWs had passed him at around 140mph. He said: “It was total mayhem. There was mangled metal everywhere. It was foolish of them to drive at this sort of speed. It was raining as well.”

Mr Nasir said that four men in a Mercedes arrived at the crash scene and four people got out and began fighting with the survivors, accusing them of killing their friends.

He added: “They all jumped out and everybody started punching each other. They said, ‘What have you done? You have killed them’. I tried to break up the fight and called the police from my mobile.”

The men were said to have been on a night out in Luton and Milton Keynes and were returning to London when the accident happened between junctions five and four. It resulted in the closure of five sections of the motorway in both directions.

Tributes were posted on Twitter yesterday and the deaths are expected to be mentioned at prayers in mosques throughout the East End on Friday.

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