The man accused of attacking Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and seriously injuring him sought refuge at a bus stop after fleeing from Khan’s Bandra residence, according to Mumbai Police. He later changed his clothes and boarded a train to Thane the following morning.
The Mumbai Police apprehended the suspect, identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, 30, on Sunday. Authorities allege that he is a Bangladeshi national who had unlawfully entered India.
According to the police, Shehzad entered Saif Ali Khan’s residence at the Satguru Sharan building in Bandra during the early hours of January 16, intending to commit theft. The actor, 54, confronted the intruder but was stabbed multiple times during the attack. Despite his injuries and profuse bleeding, Khan managed to take an auto-rickshaw to Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent a five-hour surgery.
Following the attack, Shehzad reportedly slept at a bus stop to rest, changed his clothes, and traveled from Bandra station to Dadar, then Worli, and eventually to Thane. Police revealed that Shehzad had taken various precautions to avoid detection but was ultimately traced because of his backpack.
Investigators analyzed CCTV footage from the Bandra area and identified the suspect carrying a distinctive backpack. Using this as a lead, police tracked Shehzad’s movements. They also utilized drum data, UPI transactions, and images captured from CCTV footage to identify and locate him.
After identifying Shehzad’s face in the footage, police compared it with individuals with known criminal records. However, initial attempts to match him with known suspects were unsuccessful. A fresh analysis of CCTV footage from Bandra revealed the accused walking towards the railway station around 7 a.m. on January 16, wearing different clothes.
Shehzad, who previously worked at a pub in Worli, reportedly stayed in the area on the night of the attack without drawing attention. The next day, he sought employment from a local labor contractor and subsequently traveled to Thane.
The labor contractor provided police with Shehzad’s mobile number, which revealed that the suspect had conducted online transactions while evading authorities.
Shehzad was presented in court and remanded to five days of police custody. The court acknowledged the police’s argument that an international conspiracy could not be ruled out.
The accused has been charged under sections 311 (robbery or dacoity with intent to cause grievous hurt or death) and 331(4) (housebreaking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with additional offenses under the Passport Act.