A 62-year-old man has been arrested in Bradford this morning, on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with the investigation into the murder of Sajid Saddique. He is currently in custody.

The Bradford father-of-three, who vanished without trace seven years ago, was murdered, police revealed today.

Businessman Sajid Saddique’s mystery disappearance, on Valentine’s Day 2007, has always been treated as a missing persons inquiry.

But detectives have now started a murder hunt after uncovering new evidence.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Inspector Steve Snow, told the Telegraph & Argus: “There has been a constant review of the evidence surrounding Sajid’s final movements, and now new information has come to our attention.

“We are satisfied that this information, sadly, brings us to the conclusion that Sajid was murdered.”

The devoted family man was 32 when he disappeared. At the time he was living in Heaton, Bradford, with his wife, Asma, and their three children, daughters then aged six and two, and a nine-month-old son.

Mr Saddique was last seen by his family on the morning of February 14, 2007, when he left the house. He told them he was attending a business meeting in Shipley and would be back in half an hour. He never returned.

On the seventh anniversary of his disappearance, Asma told how the day was just as difficult and painful. She said: “It’s horrible and I just want it to pass. People say that time is a healer, but it is not. It has been seven years but nothing has changed.

“I couldn’t talk about it for a long time. I spent so long trying to be strong for the children. I didn’t want them to see me upset. The children are now 13, eight and seven, and they ask questions. I used to say their dad was lost and the police were looking for him.

“Now it is a murder investigation, it changes things. It’s like I knew it for so long, but now it’s a reality. I feel so sad.

“I think, again and again, why would anybody want to murder Saj. It doesn’t make sense. He would never have hurt anybody. Justice needs to be done. No amount of time is going to bring back my husband, but whoever is responsible needs to be convicted. Saj was a deeply devoted family man, he was always there for his children.

“I urge anyone with information to come forward. I can’t emphasise the impact it could have. It could make the difference. I want the police to get a result, so we can have closure. Saj needs to rest in peace. That’s what we want.”

Sajid’s younger brother, Majid Saddique, 37, said: “It’s just as hard as it was seven years ago. I miss him as much as ever. There is somebody out there who knows something, and however small they think it is, I would ask them to come forward and tell the police.

“I broke down when the police told us it was going to be a murder investigation. We want justice for my brother.”

Sajid Saddique’s car, a gold-coloured Volkswagen Bora, was seen on the morning of his disappearance on the top tier of the Asda supermarket car park in Manor Road, Shipley, and later recovered by police.

Mr Saddique was thought to have used a cashpoint at the supermarket that morning. At the time of his disappearance detectives said it was possible he had been abducted from the car park. Mr Saddique ran a car dealership and police said they were looking into his business dealings.