A man has been charged with murder after a 27-year-old mother was stabbed to death as she pushed her five-month-old baby in a pram in Bradford.
Habibur Masum, 25, has been charged with the murder of Kulsuma Akter, who was killed in Bradford city centre on Saturday, West Yorkshire Police said.
‘Habibur Masum, 25, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley has been charged tonight with murder and possession of a bladed article,’ a statement read.
‘He has been remanded into custody to appear at Bradford Magistrates Court tomorrow.’
Armed police swooped and arrested the suspect on Tuesday as Masum tried to flee in a car in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
The arrest was 180 miles away from Bradford, West Yorkshire, where Mrs Akter was brutally stabbed to death on Saturday.
‘Habibur Masum, 25, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley has been charged tonight with murder and possession of a bladed article,’ a statement read
West Yorkshire police also confirmed a 23-year-old man arrested in the Cheshire area on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender had been released on bail.
Four others were arrested in Aylesbury on suspicion of assisting an offender and drug offences.
Police reported yesterday they had arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of the murder of Kulsuma Akter.
Ms Akter was ambushed on Saturday while she walked with her five-month-old son during a shopping trip.
Footage from the scene in Westgate just minutes after the stabbing shows police and Ms Akter’s friends looking after her child, lying unharmed in a pram.
Masum had been the subject of an intense manhunt and is understood to be the victim’s former partner and father to her child.
The suspect appeared at Tameside Magistrates’ Court accused of assaulting and threatening to kill Ms Akter last November but was released on bail.
Following the tragic news of the death of Ms Akter, family members shared their heartbreak and paid tribute.
Her brother Hossain emotionally said the family had been ‘completely devastated’ by her loss and revealed he had to call their mother who lives in Bangladesh to deliver the news of her death.
Speaking to , he said: ‘We are heartbroken and completely devastated. We are not even able to speak and have been crying all the time since this happened.
‘We had to call our mother in Bangladesh to tell her the news. Can you imagine what this was like for us? I can’t believe my sister is dead. I’m sorry, I can’t speak any more.’
Ms Akter’s cousin, Aftab Miah, also revealed that she did not work, spoke limited English and relied on her husband for her financial survival.
Mr Miah, 53, added: ‘She was a lovely girl and had a great personality. She was always smiling and liked to make people laugh.
‘We will miss her a lot and her death has hit us all really hard. But married life became quite difficult for her.’
He added: ‘The family are spread across the world and are not even able to come together at this very difficult time. I can’t put into words the pain they are going through. It’s horrific.’
Masum, who is from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire.
Habibur Masum seen on CCTV while waiting to catch a bus on Market Street in Bradford at 3.30pm on Saturday – nine minutes after Kulsuma was stabbed by an attacker
Announcing the arrest yesterday, detective chief inspector Stacey Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police’s homicide and major enquiry team, said: ‘This is 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. Local neighbourhood policing teams are patrolling the area conducting reassurance to the community.
‘We would like to thank Thames Valley Police for their support and assistance in this matter.’
Detectives are continuing to appeal for anyone with information that could assist the investigation to report it via Live Chat online or by calling 101, quoting log 1071 of 6 April.
Information can also be given to the Major Incident Public Portal via this link: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can do so by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.