'Heartbroken' family of mum stabbed to death pushing pram 'crying all the time'

10 April 2024 , 08:08

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Habibur Masum allegedly killed his wife, to whom tributes have been left

The family of a mother stabbed to death while pushing her son's pram said they were " heartbroken and completely devastated".

Kulsuma Akter, 27, was fatally knifed outside a shop in Bradford on Saturday afternoon, with police currently questioning her husband Habibur Masum, 25, over the incident. He was arrested nearly 200 miles away in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, officers said yesterday.

Ms Akter's brother 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.'"

The young mum had a traditional arranged marriage to Masum just over two years ago in Bangladesh, Ms Akter's cousin said. He then came to the UK to study and she accompanied him, it is understood.

Ms Akter's 53-year-old cousin, Aftab Miah, said: "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."

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A man, believed to be Habibur Masum, has been arrested on suspicion of murder (West Yorkshire Police / SWNS)

Floral tributes have been left in Bradford city centre after the murder of Kulsuma Akter (PA)

Ms Akter, the youngest of five siblings, lived with her husband above a shop in Oldham, Greater Manchester. Her mother still resides in Singerkach, Sylet, eastern Bangladesh, while her father works in Saudi Arabia, it is believed.

Speaking to Mail Online, Mr Miah 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."

Ms Akter's son was born six months ago and is currently being looked after by relatives. He was in the pram when his mother was attacked on Saturday, it is said. The attack led to a huge manhunt for Masum, who West Yorkshire Police named as a suspect and pictured from CCTV on Sunday. Masum is the father of the child who was in the buggy, it is believed.

Grieving cousin Mr Miah said: "You can't make sense of something like this and it's going to take us a long time to get over her loss."

Aftab Miah paid tribute to his cousin, who was knifed to death in Bradford (Facebook)

Labour MP Naz Shah lays flowers at the scene (PA)

Masum, of Oldham, appeared at Tameside Magistrates' Court accused of assaulting and threatening to kill Ms Akter last November but was released on bail. Prosecutors argued for the university graduate to be remanded in custody after he pleaded not guilty to the charges, it emerged today.

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."

Bradley Jolly