A mother who was fatally stabbed to death while pushing her baby in a pram in Bradford has been named as 27-year-old Kulsama Akter.
A national manhunt has been launched for suspect Habibur Masum, who is believed to have entered the UK on a student visa from Bangladesh.
It has since emerged that Greater Manchester Police have referred themselves to the police watchdog the IOPC over previous contact with the victim and Masum.
Officers hunting for the alleged killer have also arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender, following raids at addresses in Burnley, Chester and Oldham.
Emergency services were called to the Westgate area of the city centre at 3.21pm on Saturday after receiving reports that a woman had been stabbed multiple times.
Despite their best efforts, Ms Akter was pronounced dead in hospital while her baby was unharmed during the incident.
CCTV quickly identified Masum as a suspect and the last confirmed sightings saw him getting on a bus on Market Street at 3.30pm, before exiting at 3.42pm.
Recalling the horrific moment Ms Akter was stabbed, shopkeeper Geo Khan said: “I was sitting in my shop and heard screaming. I came out and I tried to check the pulse. There was no pulse.”
He said: “Blood was all over on the floor and there were stab wounds in her neck.”
Mr Khan added that woman who died came into his shop the day before the incident, and he believes she only came to the area a few weeks ago.
He said: “She was a very, very innocent person – the smile on her face.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Masum studied for a masters in marketing and digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire between 2021 and 2023.
He reportedly received support from Samin’s UK Visas Support Centre in applying for a Schengen visa, after approaching organiser Samin Ahmed in December.
Mr Ahmed said: “I (was) shocked when I heard this news, he is a familiar person nearby me. I did not know anything. I am really shocked.”
A photograph of Masum’s Schengen visa was posted to the Samin’s UK Visas Support Centre Facebook group in January, and social media images show that he recently travelled to Barcelona.
More follows on this breaking news story…