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Published : 30 Jun 2026, 03:19 PM
Police are searching for Shahadat Hossain, a 43-year-old Bangladeshi national accused of perpetrating a triple homicide in Rome’s Casalotti after he reportedly vanished following the killings on Jun 26, according to Italian media outlets.
Hossain is suspected of murdering Kamal Uddin, his wife Jahan Momotaj, and their eight-year-old daughter Alowa with a cleaver in their apartment on the evening of Jun 26.
The Flying Squad has received seventy reports since releasing his photograph, but none have yielded concrete leads despite extensive verification.
Law-enforcing agencies are patrolling exit points across the country and monitoring farmhouses in the countryside surrounding Casalotti, as well as in Ciociaria.
Officers are also checking waterways, including the Tiber, as authorities have not ruled out the possibility that Hossain took his own life in the hours following the crime.
The investigation has expanded across borders, with searches being conducted primarily in England, where Hossain lived until last year and where his wife, from whom he is reportedly separated, and his children remain.
On Jun 26, the day of the massacre, Hossain had obtained a residence permit from Frosinone police headquarters.
Political Involvement Under Scrutiny
Investigators are now focusing significantly on Hossain's connections within Rome's Bangladeshi community and his prominent role within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh's main nationalist party.
Italian media outlet Il Messaggero says that Hossain reportedly was an active member and "joint general secretary" of the Rome section of the BNP, regularly appearing at rallies, conferences, and demonstrations.
Numerous images and videos circulating among the community portray him speaking from stages, sitting alongside party leaders, and engaging with well-known figures from the Bangladeshi diaspora in Italy.
In a social media post published in January 2025, Hossain proudly displayed a list of names of members of the Rome section of the BNP, including his own designation as joint general secretary.
He described his role with pride as "engaging in politics among his compatriots in the Bangladeshi diaspora."
Police are interviewing those who shared his political activism to determine if anyone may have helped him escape, Il Messaggero says.
Several BNP members have already shared his police photograph on their social media channels.
Community Connections and Obsessive Behaviour
Amir Uddin, Kamal's twenty-year-old son who survived the attack, is hospitalised at Gemelli Hospital with serious head injuries.
In his account to investigators, he revealed that his father had previously asked the community to remove Hossain because he was exhibiting obsessive and persecutory behaviour towards his mother Jahan.
The two families had connections dating back to when they lived in Noakhali, a city in southern Bangladesh.
According to reports, Shahadat's roommate, a shopkeeper, revealed that the woman had helped the alleged killer find a house, describing him as a relative of hers.
Community members have circulated unverified claims that Hossain and Jahan had been engaged since their youth in Bangladesh, and that her later marriage through an arrangement had distanced her from her former fiancé.
These reports remain under investigation, though they have fuelled speculation within the Bangladeshi community about potential motives.
A social media post Hossain published the day before the massacre may offer insight into his state of mind.
The post read: "A man does not die alone, he dies himself and leaves others as if they are dead. This is why you should die with your loved ones when you die, so that no one has to suffer for anyone else."
Reconstruction of Events
The sequence of events remains under investigation, though the timeline has been clarified through witness accounts and evidence.
The crimes are believed to have occurred between 8:30pm and 9:00pm on Jun 26, though they may have been committed over a longer period.
Officers believe Hossain first attacked Jahan and her daughter, killing them before Kamal returned home from work. By the time Kamal arrived, his wife and daughter were already deceased.
When Amir arrived home last, he reportedly discovered the killer cleaning the crime scene with bleach.
The teenager saw his sister's body emerging from beneath a mattress, prompting him to flee the apartment.
Hossain pursued him, slamming him against a wall and striking him repeatedly with the cleaver before the boy's screams attracted the attention of nearby residents.
Witnesses reported seeing Hossain flee the scene as they looked out from their homes.
Ongoing Investigation into Potential Accomplices
House searches are currently underway among individuals suspected of assisting Hossain's escape.
Investigators are paying particular attention to his political associates within the BNP, examining whether party members or supporters may have harboured him or facilitated his movement following the massacre.
The possibility that accomplices helped arrange his passage to England or Bangladesh, where numerous relatives live, is being actively investigated.
Authorities have not ruled out any possibility at this stage and continue to appeal for information from the public.
The investigation into the Bangladeshi community's networks remains a central focus as law-enforcing agencies work to locate Hossain and determine whether others were involved in aiding his disappearance.
