POLICE embarked on an "old fashioned manhunt" when their prime suspect for Nazia Ahmed's murder disappeared.

Accountancy graduate Nazia died in hospital 90 minutes after she was stabbed at her home in Shear Bank Road, Blackburn.

But police knew who they were looking for thanks to the bravery of her sister Shazia, who was also injured during the killing.

Det Chief Insp Neil Hunter, one of two detectives who led the hunt for Nazia's husband Zameer Ahmed, said: "While Shazia was receiving treatment she was strong and brave enough to give us information about what happened. We knew we were looking for the estranged husband."

A total of 45 police officers and staff were assigned to the case. But picking up the trail would prove difficult.

DCI Hunter said: "He wasn't seen by anyone. No-one saw Zameer leave the scene."

Shear Bank Road lies on a steep hill and turns into Corporation Park.

DCI Hunter said: "Zameer would have had adrenaline pumping. He fled with a view to escape, never to be found again."

At 7.30pm on the day of the murder the press were informed of what had happened and the next day, at 1.40pm, a family statement and two pictures, of Nazia and Ahmed, were released to help catch the killer.

The area was scoured for clues and two knives were found by the fence between the house and the property next door. Specialist search advisers were brought in to scour the park for evidence.

On the advice of doctors Shazia had not been told her sister was dead. It was not until four days later that police broke the news.

DCI Hunter said: "She wanted to do as much as she could in such dreadful circumstances. She was aware by that stage that her sister had been murdered so she was as helpful as possible. That helped fill some of the gaps."

The same day Det Supt Mick Gradwell, the lead detective in the hunt for Ahmed, continued to co-ordinate a search of the park and again consider the killer's escape route.

The next day one of Nazia and Shazia's brothers, Waseem, 24, appeared at a press conference to try to get Ahmed to hand himself in.

Yet still the police had no idea where Ahmed was.

Nazia was buried at Pleasington Cemetery after a service at Randal Street mosque and at prayers, Det Supt Gradwell spoke to mourners and urged them to volunteer any information.

Police were even preparing to send a team out to Pakistan - but the hunt for Ahmed was about to enter its final stages.

DCI Hunter said: "We had it approved, when we became aware of contact between Zameer and a family elder, Mohammed Ilyas."

It emerged that Ahmed had contacted his brother and father in Pakistan and, on his father's urging, Mr Ilyas, the girls' uncle.

DCI Hunter: "He rang to find out how much they knew and whether he was being sought for the murder and fishing to know how much the family in the UK had told family in Pakistan.

"The next call was to his father who was aware we were interested in Zameer and that the family in the UK were asking him to hand himself in. His father said you've done something serious, you need to sort it out.' "That kick-started the phone calls between him and Mohammed Ilyas. There were at least six.

"He suggested a meeting in Manchester. We were not comfortable with that as we had a duty of care to Mohammed and we knew how unpredictable Zameer was. He was making demands."

It later emerged Ahmed had been to the capital to see people he had met on a catering course there.

DCI Hunter said: "We established he had moved from London to Scotland. We sent a team up to Glasgow."

He added: "He went knocking on doors looking for casual work, asking if they needed a chef.

"He admitted the murder to a restaurant manager up there. It must have started to play on his mind because he was running out of ideas.

"There was some astonishment 24 hours after that when he decided to make his way back to England and agreed to meet Mohammed Ilyas on June 26, the day of his arrest."

DCI Hunter went on: "It was a dynamic, fast changing situation. He was always one or two steps ahead of us because we were getting the information second hand.

"It was arranged for a rendezvous at Copy Nook in the Accrington Road area of Blackburn. He was stopped in a shop there and officers went in and arrested him."

After being charged with murder Ahmed talked to detectives about the murder and how he managed to flee the scene and avoid arrest.

DCI Hunter said: "He made his way to the train station, that took him to Clitheroe. He was captured on CCTV getting off.

"He never said where he discarded his clothing. In Clitheroe he was wearing a jacket.

"He then took the train to Manchester and discarded the jacket."

He said the murder was motivated by suspicions that Nazia was having an affair - something the police found hard to believe.

He went on: "I don't subscribe to the fact that it was an honour killing. It was a premeditated, cowardly case of domestic violence."