Three days after an intruder attacked actor Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra home, the Mumbai police, on Sunday, 19 January, arrested the prime accused in the case. .
The police identified the accused as 30-year-old Mohammad Shariful Islam and a Mumbai court granted the police five-day custody
At a press briefing, Dixit Gedam — Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone 9 — said, “Preliminary evidence suggests that the accused is of Bangladeshi origin. He entered India illegally and changed his name. He was using Vijay Das as an alias. He came to Mumbai 5-6 months ago. He stayed in Mumbai for a few days and then in the vicinity of Mumbai. The accused used to work in a housekeeping agency.”
The accused allegedly admitted to the crime, saying, “Haan, maine hi kiya (Yes, I did it),” a police official told The Indian Express.
‘Suspect Does Not Have Valid Indian Documents, Believed To Be a Bangladeshi National’: DCP
DCP Gedam told the media that the accused appears to be a Bangladeshi national and doesn’t have any “valid Indian documents”.
“He does not have valid Indian documents. There are some seizures that indicate that he is a Bangladeshi national…As of now, we think that the accused has entered the residence (of Saif Ali Khan) for the first time,” DCP Gedam said.
Based on this observation, relevant sections of the Passport Act have been applied to the case, cops said.
Accused’s Advocate Claims He Has Been in Mumbai for 7 Years
The accused’s lawyer, Sandeep Shekhane, claimed that the accused has been in Mumbai for the last seven years. “Police custody for 5 days has been granted. The court has asked the police to submit a report within 5 days. The police have no proof that he is a Bangladeshi. They said that he came here 6 months ago, it’s a wrong statement,” he told the media.
“He has been living here for more than 7 years. His family is in Mumbai,” Shekhane said. Reportedly, he also added that the accused has denied the ‘attempt to murder’ allegations, as per ANI.
‘(Accused) Was Not Aware It Was a Film Star’s House’: Maha Deputy CM Ajit Pawar
Amid questions arising about the state of law and order in Maharashtra after the attack on Saif Ali Khan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said, on Sunday, that the accused wasn’t aware he was entering a film star’s house, ANI reported.
Alleging that the accused had entered the house with the intent to commit robbery, Pawar said, “Some opposition leaders have given the statement that law & order collapsed in Mumbai after the incident of attack on actor Saif Ali Khan. But the reality is the accused migrated from Bangladesh. First, he came to Kolkata & then he had heard a lot about Mumbai so he came to Mumbai.”
“He is a thief who entered from the duct to Saif Ali Khan’s residence. He was not aware that this was the house of some film star. He just entered the house with the intention of the robbery,” he added.
What We Know of the Earlier Investigation
During their initial investigation on Thursday, 16 January, Mumbai police released a picture of the accused from the CCTV footage of the actor’s building. They believe the suspect used the fire escape to enter and exit the building.
He was reportedly then seen at Bandra station and may have boarded a local train towards Vasai-Virar, ANI reported. Police teams reportedly launched searches in Vasai, Nalasopara, and Virar.
While the suspect was seen in a black shirt in the CCTV footage, CCTVs in Bandra seemingly showed him near Lucky Junction dressed in a light blue shirt.
The accused likely travelled to Dadar and purchased a phone cover from a shop near the station before heading towards Kabutarkhana, police sources told Indian Express.
The accused was purportedly seen in CCTV cameras at the shop at 9.04 am on Thursday, hours after the incident in Khan’s house.
On Friday, it was reported that a suspect had been detained by the Mumbai Police but the cops later clarified that the man had no links to the attack on the actor.
Indian Express, citing police sources, reported that the suspect was brought in because he resembled the accused, as seen on CCTV from Khan’s building.
On Saturday, Mumbai police headed to Durg to question a suspect who had been arrested by the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
Officials from the RPF said that they detained a man travelling in the Jnaneshwari Express based on a photograph and a tower location shared by the Mumbai police.
The arrest in Thane was carried out through a joint operation conducted by DCP Zone 6 Shri Navnath Dhavale’s team and the Kasarvadavali police at a labor camp in Hiranandani Estate.
Earlier suspects detained by the cops were found to be unrelated to the case.
‘Intruder Demanded Rs 1 Crore’: Details of the Attack
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was attacked at his home in Bandra on 16 January by an intruder. The police formed 20 teams to find the accused and with searches reportedly conducted in Vasai, Nalasopara, and Virar areas. The suspect, who was seen on CCTV footage near the actor’s residence, was last seen near Bandra police station, cops had said.
According to the statement given by the family’s help Eliyama Philip, the intruder asked for Rs 1 crore and was allegedly armed with a hexa blade. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dixit Gedam, on Thursday told the media that the accused used the fire escape to enter the house.
She reportedly sustained injuries on both her hands. Khan later intervened and was injured in the resulting altercation.
FIR Registered Under BNS Sections 311 & 312, Among Others
An FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 311 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 312 (attempt to commit robbery when armed with a dangerous weapon), 331(4), 331(6) and 331(7) that pertain to house trespassing or house breaking.
‘He Was Lucky’: What Saif Ali Khan’s Doctors Said
Khan was taken to Lilavati Hospital around 3 AM on Thursday morning. The actor sustained multiple injuries, including one in the neck, two on his hand,and one to the thoracic spinal cord. A 2.5-inch knife fragment was removed during surgery.
On 17 January, Dr Nitin Dange, Chief Neurosurgeon Lilavati Hospital, told the media that the actor has been shifted from the ICU to the normal ward but it was recommended that the actor restrict his movements for a few days because of a ‘risk of infection’. Dange further said that the “sharp object had gone very deep but it did not damage the spinal cord… he’s very lucky,” adding that there’s ‘no risk of paralysis’.
‘Attacker Was Very Aggressive’: Kareena Kapoor to Cops
On Thursday night, actor Kareena Kapoor, told the police that the intruder was ‘very aggressive’ during the altercation with her husband, Saif Ali Khan, stabbing him multiple times. She added that jewellery kept in the open was left untouched by the intruder, Indian Express reported.
In a post shared on Instagram on Thursday,Kapoor requested the media and the paparazzi to refrain from “relentless speculation and coverage” while appreciating the ‘concern and support’.
“I kindly request that you respect our boundaries and give us the space we need to heal and cope as a family,” she wrote.
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