An Englishman is facing time in jail after killing his estranged wife. Habibur Masum had a history of domestic violence, which caused his wife to be placed in a safe house, but he continued to track and stalk her. Tracking her to the safe house, he decided to confront her about their relationship. Tired of his abuse, his wife made it clear that their relationship was over. This didn’t sit well with Masum and he killed her quickly, their young son witnessing the whole thing.
Twenty-six-year-old Habibur Masum was convicted of murder, one count of assault, making threats to kill, and stalking on June 27, 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service noted in a press release. On June 5, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a bladed knife, but the manslaughter charge was thrown out in favor of a murder trial.
On April 6, 2024, Masum’s wife, Kulsuma Akter, was out in Bradford, England, shopping with her friend. As she pushed her son in his stroller, she was approached by Masum. At the time, the couple was estranged; Akter was living in a safe house after being threatened by her husband. He had been sending her messages threatening her and photos showing he knew where she was living.
During their interaction, the woman told Masum that she wasn’t interested in reconciliation. Then he stabbed her over 25 times with a kitchen knife he had hidden in his jacket, the BBC reported. She died of her injuries later that day. He calmly left the scene and boarded a bus. In CCTV footage from the bus, he could be seen smiling.
“There were no tears, there was no distress. Perhaps, members of the jury, the smile you can clearly see form as he gets on that bus is as a result of him thinking at that point he’s getting away. The smiling killer,” prosecutor Stephen Wood KC said during the trial.
“Kulsuma suffered a brutal attack in broad daylight whilst her baby son was in his pram,” Stacey Atkinson, detective chief inspector for West Yorkshire Police, shared in the press release. “Masum carried out the murder then calmly walked away as if nothing had happened. He left the scene and made his way out of the city to try and escape justice.”
After killing his wife, Habibur Masum was able to escape, heading 175 miles south of Bradford to Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. He was found several days later and taken into custody in West Yorkshire, police noted in a statement.
“Her family have been left absolutely devastated by her death, I hope today’s conviction will bring them a sense of justice in knowing that the man responsible has been found guilty,” Atkinson said.
