Saif stabbing case: Accused slept soundly, changed clothes after attack

The accused, Shehzad, had entered the Bollywood star's home in the Satguru Sharan building in upscale Bandra in the early hours of January 16 with the intention of theft. He stabbed Khan multiple times in the attack

Mumbai: The 30-year-old man arrested for stabbing and injuring actor Saif Ali Khan slept soundly after the attack and changed his clothes before heading to Worli, a police official said on Monday.

The Mumbai police on Sunday arrested the accused, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, a Bangladeshi national, in neighbouring Thane city. According to the police, the accused had entered the Bollywood star’s home in the Satguru Sharan building in upscale Bandra in the early hours of January 16 with the intention of theft.

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Khan (54) was stabbed multiple times in the attack, after which he underwent a five-hour surgery at nearby Lilavati Hospital. The official said after attacking the actor, the accused had a restful sleep at a bus stop, changed his clothes and reached Bandra railway station, from where he travelled to Dadar and later to Worli before heading to Thane city.

Shehzad had taken all precautions to evade the police but got caught because of his backpack, he said. The official said the police had observed the backpack the accused was carrying in the CCTV footage, and this gave a direction to the probe.

Later, with the help of CCTV, drum data and online payment, the police trace the accused.

With the help of the image of the accused’s face captured on CCTV, the police analysed persons with criminal records who looked like him and detained a few suspects. But when nothing came out of this, they checked the CCTV footage from the Bandra area again, the official said.

The accused was seen in a CCTV footage walking towards the Bandra railway station around 7 am, and he had changed his clothes, he said.

Shehzad, who had worked in a pub in Worli in the past, stayed on the premises on the night of January 16 and went unnoticed. The next day, he approached a labour contractor in the area for work and left for Thane.

The official said the labour contractor provided Shehzad’s mobile number to the police, and it was found that he had done some online transactions while on the run.

A court has remanded the accused in five-day police custody after observing that the police’s contention of an international conspiracy cannot be ruled out.

Shehzad has been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 311 (robbery or dacoity with the intent to cause grievous hurt or death), 331(4) (house-breaking) and other offences as well as provisions of the Passport Act.