Bradford stabbing: Nationwide manhunt for Habibur Masum over mother's death

Every police force in the country is looking for a man suspected of fatally stabbing a mother who was pushing her baby in a pram, officials said.

Habibur Masum, 25, is wanted after a 27-year-old woman was attacked in the Westgate area of Bradford on Saturday.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed the baby was not harmed in the attack.

West Yorkshire's deputy mayor for policing and crime said Mr Masum was known to the victim and was considered "very dangerous".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Monday, Alison Lowe said: "Habibur Masum is still at large.

"There is a very complex investigation currently ongoing with all forces in the country trying to locate the suspect.

"We don't think this was a random killing, the police know the two people were known to each other."

Anyone who sees Mr Masum is urged not to approach him and to phone 999 immediately.

Mr Masum, who is described as Asian and of a slim build, is from the Oldham area and is believed to have links to the Burnley and Chester areas.

CCTV footage appears to show him 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.

Officers said a knife was recovered from the scene but could not confirm whether Mr Masum was armed.

Geo Khan, who runs a fruit and veg shop close to the scene of the incident, told the BBC how he had tried to save the victim after he found her body on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Khan said he knew the woman by sight and that she had been coming into his store for a "few weeks".

"I was sitting in my shop when I heard screaming," he said.

"I came out and ran to the scene and there was a body lying on the floor. I tried to check her pulse and there was none.

"Within a few minutes a doctor arrived and we tried to turn her over. There was blood everywhere. I got a sheet and I put that over her until the ambulance arrived.

"It was really, really bad. I couldn't take it in.

"She was a good, charitable lady and all the time there was a smile on her face.

"The local area is distressed. I just feel really sorry for her and for what happened."

A large police presence was reported in Bradford's city centre over the weekend following the woman's death.

Ms Lowe said people in the community were "shocked and distressed" by what had happened.

She added: "The reason I'm speaking today is to give reassurance to that community that everything is being done to locate this suspect and to reassure them that these incidents are really rare.

"This was someone who knew the victim and is highly unlikely to be a risk to anybody else in Bradford or wider West Yorkshire."

The victim has not yet been formally identified but police said her family had been informed and was being supported by officers.

Charles Heslett, BBC News, at the scene

There's a group of photographers and camera crews on Westgate on the outskirts of Bradford city centre.

Police tape that provided a cordon for the area has now been taken down. Bits of it are still tied to railings along Westgate.

Shopkeepers in the area are reluctant to talk due to the media attention and the sensitivity of the subject, but the overall feeling is one of great sadness that a 27-year-old young mother had lost her life and a baby had been left without a parent.

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