Ex-partner suspected of stabbing young mum to death held after huge manhunt
THE estranged partner of a woman stabbed to death as she pushed her baby in a pram was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murder.
Habibur Masum was detained in the early hours following the death of 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in central Bradford on Saturday afternoon.
Raids
Detectives said they held him in Aylesbury, Bucks, after raids on addresses in Oldham, Burnley and Chester. The arrest, 180 miles from the murder scene, followed a nationwide hunt for Masum, 25.
Ms Akter was fatally stabbed as she took her son for a stroll with a female friend. Police said that the 3.20pm attack was targeted.
Both the West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester forces have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over previous dealings with the couple.
Masum is the five-month-old’s dad. He had been given bail while awaiting trial, charged with threatening to kill his former partner.
It is not clear if they had wed but Primark influencer Masum’s Facebook entry states that he is married. Court documents show that Masum, of Oldham, was charged with threatening to kill her on November 24 and assaulting her the day before.
Both offences were alleged to have happened in Manchester. Prosecutors had called for Masum to be remanded in custody but his solicitor argued that he should not be held in jail.
Magistrates granted conditional bail on the basis that Masum was to have no contact with Ms Akter and another relative and was not to go to a particular address in Oldham. The case was adjourned for 10 months.
Ms Akter, who was originally from Bangladesh, left her family in Oldham to move to Bradford after the alleged incidents to try to feel safe, but she expressed fresh concerns to police.
Masum, who is from Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire. He made retail videos and shared YouTube travel vlogs of his “adventures” and life in the UK.
Det Chief Insp Stacey Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police, said that officers had swooped on an address in Aylesbury following a “tragic incident in which a mother has lost her life in the most horrific of circumstances.We understand that this has caused a considerable amount of concern in the local community.”
Neck
The incident was outside a convenience store, and its owner Geo Khan said he ran out to help after hearing “bloodcurdling” screams.
Mr Khan, 69, added: “There were stab wounds in her neck.” The baby boy was uninjured.
Police said a man of 23 who was arrested in Cheshire on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender remained in custody last night.