Armed cops raid Burnley house in search for murder suspect after mum stabbed to death in front of baby son

Armed cops stormed a house in Burnley in search for a murder suspect after a woman was fatally stabbed in front of her baby son.

A police manhunt is under way for Habibur Masum, 25, following the murder of Kulsuma Akter, 27, in Bradford on Saturday.

Ms Akter was with her baby, who was in a pram, at the time of the attack. The baby was not harmed.

West Yorkshire Police said Masum was known to police and that Ms Akter had had previous contact with police.

They are known to each other.

Armed police were spotted storming a house in Burnley as part of their hunt for Masum at around noon yesterday.

Eye witnesses said offices led a man and a woman away.

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Det Chief Insp Stacey Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Enquiry Team, said: “We have had significant resources following up a number of lines of enquiry to locate Habibur Masum but at this time his whereabouts are unknown.

“A knife was recovered from the scene of the murder, but we cannot say if Habibur Masum is armed, and I would urge anyone who does see him not to approach him but to call 999 immediately.”

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller said.

Masum is believed to be from Bangladesh and was in the UK on a student visa, and later a post-graduate visa after he obtained his degree.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he studied for a masters in marketing and digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire between 2021 and 2023.

Days before the attack he posted a picture of him posing with a woman and baby beneath a sign that reads “love”.

Masum is described as an Asian man, of slim build.

He was pictured on CCTV wearing a duffle coat with three large horizontal lines of grey, white and black, light blue or grey tracksuit bottoms with a small black emblem on the left pocket and maroon trainers.

A witness also reported seeing him wearing a grey hoodie with the hood up.

He is believed to have links to the Burnley and Chester areas.

Any current sightings of Habibur Masum should be reported to West Yorkshire Police via 999.

Any other information that could assist the investigation should be reported via Live Chat or by calling 101, quoting log 1071 of April 6.