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7 months ago
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This is the first picture of a woman stabbed to death in front of her five-month-old son while pushing her pram during a shopping trip in Bradford.
Kulsuma Akter, 27, is pictured in traditional Bangladesh wedding finery with husband Habibur Masum, 25, who has now been charged with her murder.
Initially it had been thought the couple married in their home country, but relatives say they did not officially wed until two years ago. Her uncle Akbar Ali Babu told MailOnline: 'Now there is nothing else we desire most than a trial and for justice.'
Masum appeared at Bradford Magistrates' Court this morning and was remanded into custody. Five other people have been arrested in connection with the case.
It comes as Ms Akter's mother Monwara Begum, 60, described her 'heartache' and paid tribute to her daughter, while it also emerged that the family of her suspected killer have fled their home for fear of a revenge attack by her relatives.
The wedding ceremony is thought to have taken place in Oldham where Ms Akter has relatives - and for the marriage she wore a brilliant crimson sari with gold trimming, according to traditional custom. Wearing gold symbolises physical and spiritual purity and that the bride is 'stepping into her new life as pure as gold'.
Kulsuma Akter, 27, is pictured with husband Habibur Masum, 25, who has now been charged with her murder
Kulsuma Akter's mother, Monwara Begum (pictured) tearfully told MailOnline her 'heart is broken' after her daughter's death
In Bangladesh the couple would have walked around a ritual fire seven times in a ceremony known as 'saat paake' but it is not known if this happened at their British wedding.
Ms Akter's father was unable to give her away as he is living in Saudi Arabia and so her brother who lives in the UK stepped in.
Masum, of Burnley, was charged with murder and possession of a bladed article following the incident in Bradford on Saturday.
He appeared at Bradford Magistrates' Court this morning for a six-minute hearing. Masum stood in the glass-fronted dock as he was addressed.
Clean-shaven, dressed in a grey sweatshirt and flanked by three security guards, he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Masum was remanded into custody by district judge Alex Boyd and will appear at Bradford Crown Court tomorrow.
He was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - 170 miles away from where Ms Akter was stabbed.
A 23-year-old man arrested in the Cheshire area on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on bail, West Yorkshire Police said.
Four other men were arrested in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on suspicion of assisting an offender and drug offences. The men aged 23, 26, 28, and 29, from the West Midlands area, are currently in custody, the force added.
Floral tributes left outside a shop in Westgate, Bradford, close to where Kulsuma was stabbed to death
Habibur Masum (pictured) is being questioned by police over the stabbing, having been subject of a major manhunt
Kulsuma Akter's cousin, Aftab Miah (pictured), paid tribute to the mother, calling her a 'lovely girl' who was 'always smiling'
Ms Akter was taken to hospital after being stabbed several times in Westgate at the junction with Drewton Road at 3.20pm on Saturday. She later died from her injuries. The baby is safe and was not harmed in the incident, police said.
West Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct because officers had contact with Ms Akter before her death, a force spokesman confirmed.
Meanwhile Ms Akter's mother Monwara Begum, 60, spoke through tears to MailOnline from her village near the town of Sylhet, in Bangladesh. Ms Begum said: 'I am still in shock, my heart is broken, she was my youngest daughter and I adored her greatly.
'She looked after me when my eldest daughter was married and she would get my medicine and do everything for me.
'When she moved to the United Kingdom I was alone but Kulsuma would call me every day by video – the only day I didn't hear from her was the day she was attacked.'
She added: 'All I want now is a trial and I want Kulsuma to get the justice in death that she didn't get when she was alive.'
Ms Akter's brother Anwar said his sister had been relocated after they contacted the UK authorities with concerns about her safety.
The scene at Westgate, Bradford, on Saturday after Ms Akter was brutally stabbed to death in broad daylight while pushing her son in a pram
Police officers in white forensics gear stand within a cordon at the scene of the stabbing in Bradford
Officers were seen storming a housing association property in Burnley on Sunday
He added that a few days before she was attacked, the younger brother of the Masum called her and 'informed her he [Masum] had gone to Spain'.
When MailOnline later went to the village where Masum's parents live, a local said: 'They have gone, they left a few days ago when the news came out.
'They were scared of being attacked, we haven't seen them since it happened.'
On Tuesday her brother, Hossain, said the family was 'completely devastated' by her loss.
Speaking to MailOnline, he 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.'
Ms Akter's cousin, Aftab Miah, also revealed that she had a traditional arranged marriage to Masum just over two years ago in Bangladesh.
This second house was raided at the same time as the previous home
Masum, who is from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, and videos show him celebrating at his graduation
He then came to the UK to study and she accompanied him as a dependent.
The couple were living in Oldham in a flat above a shop. Ms Akter has two older brothers living in the town, as well as a sister and another brother in Bangladesh. She was the youngest of the five siblings.
Mr Miah, 53, revealed that she did not work, spoke limited English and relied on her husband for her financial survival.
He added: '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.'
He 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.'
Habibur Masum is a wannabe blogger who previously posted videos of shopping hauls in Primark
Online, Masum presents an image of himself as an enthusiastic traveller who enjoys discovering new cultures
He said that Ms Akter's son was born six months ago and is currently being looked after by relatives. He refused to name the baby.
Mr Miah praised the efforts of police but called for a fuller investigation into events leading up to Ms Akter's killing.
He said: 'The family just want to see justice carried out and are happy that the police have arrested him quickly. It's a big relief to all of us.'
He added: 'Kulsuma thought she was in a safe place but tragically this wasn't the case. You can't make sense of something like this and it's going to take us a long time to get over her loss.'
Masum, who is from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, and shares travel vlogs of his 'adventures' and life in the UK to his 14 YouTube subscribers.
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