Manhunt after young mother stabbed to death
Woman, 27, struck five times in the neck while pushing baby in pram along busy Bradford street
A MANHUNT was under way last night after police named a man they suspect stabbed a mother to death on a busy shopping street.
Detectives are appealing for members of the public to report any sightings of Habibur Masum, 25, who is from the Oldham area.
He is wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in the Westgate area of Bradford city centre on Saturday afternoon, West Yorkshire Police said.
Police were called after reports of a woman being stabbed by a man who then fled.
The woman later died in hospital. She is yet to be formally identified, but is understood to have been 27 years old, the force said.
Masum, who is believed to have been known to the woman, is described as an Asian man, of slim build.
He was pictured on CCTV wearing a duffle coat with three large horizontal lines of grey, white and black, light blue or grey tracksuit bottoms with a small black emblem on the left pocket and maroon trainers.
A witness also reported seeing him wearing a grey hoodie with the hood up. He is believed to have links to the Burnley and Chester areas.
Det Ch Insp Stacey Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police’s homicide team, said: “We have had significant resources following up a number of lines of inquiry to locate Habibur Masum but at this time his whereabouts are unknown.
“A knife was recovered from the scene of the murder, but we cannot say if Habibur Masum is armed, and I would urge anyone who does see him not to approach him but to call 999 immediately. If anyone has any information about his movements or whereabouts since 3.20pm on Saturday please contact police as a matter of urgency.
“We understand that the murder of a young woman in such shocking circumstances has caused considerable concern in the local community. Residents can expect to continue to see a significant police presence in Bradford as we make further inquiries and conduct reassurance patrols in the area.”
According to eyewitnesses, the woman was stabbed “four to five times” in the neck while shopping with a friend in Bradford.
Geo Khan, 69, who runs a nearby grocery shop, tried to resuscitate the woman, who was one of his customers. He said: “I was working on Saturday and I heard screams and ran out of my shop.
“I saw that the lady was lying face down on the pavement next to a pushchair with her five-month-old baby inside.
“I turned her over. There was a lot of blood and I checked for a pulse, but couldn’t find one. I could see the knife wounds to her neck and I tried to do CPR. Her friend was screaming.”
Yesterday, forensics officers dressed in white suits continued to gather evidence from the scene and a large police cordon remained in place.
Aneela Ahmed, Nazam Azam and Shakeela Lal, councillors for Bradford City ward, said in a joint statement: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by yesterday’s incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased.
“We would urge anyone who has any information relating to the incident, to contact the police on the information provided.”