ROME — Italian authorities have launched an intense manhunt following a brutal triple homicide late Friday night in the Casalotti district, on the western outskirts of Rome. Three members of a family of Bangladeshi origin were stabbed to death in their apartment on Via Montiglio.
As of Sunday lunchtime, the prime suspect remains at large, and police have released his photograph to the public in an urgent bid to track him down.
A night of violence in Casalotti
The victims have been identified as 39-year-old Kamal Uddin, his 38-year-old wife, Hosne Jahan Momotaj, and their 8-year-old daughter, Arowa.
Neighbours raised the alarm late Friday night after hearing screams from the family’s first-floor flat. Arriving officers discovered an horrific scene. While three members of the family succumbed to their wounds, the couple’s 20-year-old son survived the assault. He was found at the entrance of the building and rushed to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in serious condition. Doctors state his injuries are not life-threatening, and investigators are waiting for medical clearance to interview him.
Inside the apartment, police recovered and seized a heavy cleaver, believed to be the primary murder weapon. A short distance away, forensic teams located a bloodied sweatshirt in a local parking lot, which has been sent for immediate DNA and forensic analysis.
Manhunt for prime suspect
Investigators quickly focused their search on the family’s immediate social circle, uncovering a potential motive linked to ongoing harassment.
The prime suspect has been named as Shahadat Hossain, a 43-year-old Bangladeshi national who was known to the family. Prosecutors have officially opened proceedings against Hossain for murder and grievous bodily harm. Rome police have circulated his description and photograph across national transit hubs and borders, urging anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to contact emergency services immediately.
A community shaken
The triple homicide has deeply affected the tight-knit Casalotti neighborhood. Local residents described the family as warm, hardworking, and well-regarded. Kamal Uddin had been a fixture in the community for 15 years, and had only recently been joined in Italy by his wife and young daughter.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri expressed the city’s collective shock in a statement issued over the weekend.
“This is a tragedy of unheard-of gravity, difficult even to imagine, which has shaken the community of Casalotti.”
