 "Saif Ali Khan's attacker arrested, cops suspect he is illegal Bangladeshi")
The Mumbai Police on Sunday arrested the main suspect in the stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan from Thane West near Mumbai. The cops suspect that the man is a Bangladeshi and changed his name after entering India illegally.
Addressing the press, DCP Zone 9 Dixit Gedam said, "On January 16, at 2 am, actor Saif Ali Khan was attacked at his residence. An FIR was registered and one accused has been arrested. His name is Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, he is 30 years old. He entered the house with the intention of robbery. He will be produced in the court and custody will be demanded. Further investigation will take place later."
Gedam said that according to the prelimnary inquiry, the suspect is allegedly from Bangladesh and does not have valid Indian documents. "He was using Vijay Das as his current name. He came to Mumbai 5-6 months ago. He stayed in Mumbai for a few days and then in the vicinity of Mumbai. He used to work in a housekeeping agency," said Gedam.
Two other suspects detained
Earlier, the police detained two other suspects in connection with the case. A person was detained in Mumbai and was questioned. However, the police later clarified that he has no involvement with the case.
The police detained another suspect in Chattisgarh's Durg on Saturday. The suspect, Aakash Kanojia, was caught by the Raipur Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Durg while he was travelling by the Jnaneswari Express train and was handed over to the Mumbai Police.
The suspects were caught based on the CCTV footage from Saif Ali Khan's house, which showed the accused leaving the building after the incident.
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How Saif Ali Khan was attacked
According to the police, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, the main accused, used aliases like Vijay Das and Mohammad Iliyas. On the day of the incident, he allegedly gained access to Khan’s 12th-floor apartment in the upscale Satguru Sharan building in Bandra West using the staircase.
House staff member Eliyamma Philips (alias Lima) was the first to confront the intruder and suffered hand injuries in the scuffle. Hearing her screams, Khan intervened but was stabbed multiple times. Despite the attacker's aggression, no valuables were taken.
Khan was rushed to the hospital with a knife lodged in his spine. Neurosurgeons revealed that the blade narrowly missed causing severe spinal damage. The actor underwent surgery to remove a 2.5-inch knife fragment and is expected to be discharged in two to three days.
(With inputs from agencies)