The Italian police have released a photo of the prime suspect --Bangladeshi expatriate Md Shahadat Hossain (43) in connection with the brutal murder of a Bangladeshi couple and their five-year-old daughter in Italian capital Rome.
His photo was published to seek public assistance in locating him on orders from the Rome Prosecutor's Office.
Relatives of the victims and locals have identified the person as Md Shahadat Hossain, a resident of Companiganj upazila in Noakhali district.
It is learnt that Shahadat Hossain is the son of Abdul Ahad, of Char Kakra union under Companiganj upazila in Noakhali district.
Local sources said Shahadat is the member-secretary of Companiganj Upazila Swecchasebak Dal. The relatives also claimed that Shahadat had a long-standing relation with the victims' family.
According to local sources and media reports, there had been a long-standing personal dispute or family feud between Shahadat and Kamal Uddin's wife dating back to their time in Bangladesh. Police are currently investigating all possible angles, including personal enmity and financial disputes. A mysterious post on Shahadat's personal Facebook profile the day before the incident has also drawn significant attention.
Shahadat's elder brother said Shahadat sold his property and moved abroad with his family about four years ago, and had no contact with his relatives since then.
The Italian law enforcing agencies said the triple murders took place around 9:00pm local time on Friday (June 26, 2026) inside a residential apartment on Via Montiglio road in the Aurelio area, western Rome.
The killer entered the apartment armed with a meat cleaver and launched a sudden attack on the family members--Kamal Uddin Babul, 39, his wife Arju Akter, 38, and Kamal Uddin's 5-year-old daughter Arwa Islam Arisha, 5, were brutally murdered in their apartment . When the eldest son, Ayon, returned home, he was also stabbed but managed to escape and seek help from neighbors.
According to locals, Kamal initially lived in Italy alone while his family resided in Companiganj. During that time, the family found out that a close relationship had developed between Kamal's wife and Shahadat. A local arbitration meeting (salish) was also held regarding this matter. Later, about two years ago, Kamal took his wife and children to Italy. In 2025, Kamal came to Bangladesh with his family for Eid ul-Azha. At that time, an anonymous letter arrived at their house. The letter demanded gold ornaments and money, threatening to kill family members and abuse the women if the demands were not met. The matter was reported to the police station. Afterward, they returned to Italy before their scheduled time.
Relatives claimed that Shahadat moved to the United Kingdom about four years ago with his wife and two children. After a family separation, he went to Italy about a year ago. They allege that the deceased, Arju, had also assisted Shahadat in going to Italy.
Advocate Md Yunus Suman, a relative of the deceased family and a local resident, said, "While in Bangladesh, Shahadat's close relationship with Kamal's wife had caused family turmoil. For this reason, Kamal moved his family to Italy. However, we have come to know that the contact with Shahadat did not stop even in Italy. A post made on Shahadat's Facebook after the murder has further strengthened our suspicion. We demand a fair investigation and justice for this incident."
After the murder incident, suspect Shahadat posted a status on his Facebook ID. He wrote there, "A person does not just die alone; they die and leave others in a death-like state as well. Therefore, at the time of death, one should take their loved ones along with them. That way, no one has to suffer for anyone else."
Shahadat's post on Facebook has made the Italian police more suspicious about his role. Now, police are trying to find out Shahadat to unearthed the mystery behind the triple murders.
END/CORRESPONDENT/ASA
