A Bangladeshi man wanted on suspicion of stabbing a mother to death while wheeling her infant through Bradford in a pram is thought to be the child’s father.
Suspect Habibur Masum remains at large after 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter was ambushed in broad daylight while pushing her five-month-old infant in a pushchair during a shopping excursion on Saturday.
Police have told the public ‘not to approach’ the 25-year-old, who MailOnline disclosed on Monday was on bail after being accused with assaulting and threatening to kill Ms Akter in November, and to ‘call 999 immediately’ if they see him.
A worker at a shop whose CCTV filmed the attack claims they spotted Masum talking to Ms Akter outside for a few minutes before reportedly initiating a violent attack, and they thought he was the father of her child.
A 23-year-old man has already been arrested on suspicion of helping an offender, and on Monday, police published a CCTV image showed a smirking Masum boarding a bus from Bradford city centre nine minutes after the attack. He was last seen getting off the bus in the Bradford Moor Park area, a few miles distant.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed yesterday that it has submitted itself to the Independent Officer for Police Conduct following earlier contact with Masum and Ms Akter.
Masum, originally from Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, earned a master’s degree in digital marketing from the University of Bedfordshire and now shares travel vlogs of his ‘adventures’ and life in the UK with his 14 YouTube subscribers.
A witness from a neighbouring fruit and vegetable shop in Bradford stated that the entire incident was captured on CCTV, with film showing a seemingly quiet conversation being disrupted by the horrifying attack.
The spectator told The Sun that he just wanted to see his son. He took the bus from Oldham to Bradford Interchange and then caught a taxi up here.
He walked up Westgate from town with the mother and baby. They then spent approximately five minutes conversing outside the shop, just talking together.
‘He didn’t try to seize his son or anything; he simply wanted to see him.’
They believe he then attacked Ms Aktar, who died on the spot.
Another eyewitness reported that Ms Akter was stabbed ‘four to five times’ in the neck while shopping with a friend. The infant was unharmed.
Geo Khan, 69, who manages the shop, attempted to resuscitate Ms Akter, one of his clients.
Mr Khan claimed he was seated in his business on Saturday afternoon when he was startled by cries on the other side of Westgate, in central Bradford.
He said he ran over to Ms Akter, who was with a companion outside a convenience store on Wigan Street, and was joined by a doctor as others called for an ambulance.
‘I was sitting in my shop and heard screaming,’ Mr Khan stated on Monday. I came out and attempted to check the pulse. There was no pulse.
He claimed, “Blood was all over the floor, and there were stab wounds in her neck.”
Mr Khan said he was joined by the passing doctor who took over trying to help Ms Akter, but admitted there was no pulse.
‘Him, me, and another person went to save her, but she was already gone,’ Mr Khan explained. ‘I don’t suppose she was there any longer.
He answered, ‘Whatever occurred, it’s a very sad situation.
Mr Khan stated that Ms Akter visited his shop the day before the incident and that she may have only moved to the region a few weeks prior.
