Kulsuma Akter: Woman stabbed to death in Bradford named as suspect Habibur Masum remains at large

A young woman who was stabbed “multiple times” as she pushed her baby in a pram in Bradford has been named. Kulsuma Akter, 27, from Oldham was stabbed to death in the Westgate area of Bradford city centre on Saturday afternoon (April 6).

Addressing a press conference on Monday afternoon, West Yorkshire Police Officer Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller said: “On Saturday April 6, shortly before 3.20pm Kulsuma Akter was walking in Bradford city centre. Kulsuma was with her young baby at this time, and was walking along Westgate when she was attacked and stabbed multiple times.

“The emergency services were called at 3:21pm. However, despite the best efforts of members of the public, ambulance crews, and hospital staff, Kulsuma sadly lost her life due to the injuries. Her baby is safe and well and was not harmed in this incident.”

Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller said West Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over previous contact with the victim. Asked by reporters if the woman had been in contact with police, he said: “Yes she had. We have referred ourselves to the IOPC because we have had previous contact with the deceased.”

Police are now hunting for suspect Habibur Masum, 25, and have conducted “a number of raids” in Burnley, Oldham, and Chester. Mr Miller said: “There are significant resources conducting CCTV and house-to-house inquiries. And we also have local Bradford officers carrying out increased patrols in the area, which I hope will be of some reassurance to residents.

“With the support of other forces we’ve conducted a number of raids in the Burnley and Oldham and Chester areas in the search for Masum, and during the searches a 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and is now in police custody.”

Asked about previous contact with the suspect, he said: “Masum was known to the police, not in West Yorkshire, that’s as much as we would like to say at this stage.”

He said Masum was last seen walking in the direction of a park having got off a bus. He continued: “Masum is a slim Asian man and was last seen wearing a duffle coat with three large horizontal lines, grey tracksuit bottoms and maroon trainers,” he said.

“On Saturday he was captured on CCTV getting on a bus. He was last seen walking in the direction of Bradford Moor Park, this is our last confirmed sighting of him.”

Renewing his appeal to the public for information, he said: “I believe him to still be in the country at this moment in time.”