A series of clues, including a UPI payment for an omelette, a phone call to a friend, a call from his former employer, and a wealth of CCTV footage, have led to the arrest of the intruder accused of stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra home early on Thursday morning.
The suspect, identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammed Rohilla Amin Fakir, also known as Bijoy Das, was apprehended by a joint operation involving Mumbai and Thane police. The 30-year-old, originally from Jhalakathi district in Bangladesh, had been unemployed for over a month after working as housekeeping staff at pubs and restaurants in Mumbai and Thane.
Arrest Made In Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Case
The arrest took place early on Sunday, when Shariful was found asleep in the mangroves near Kasarvadavali in Thane. A massive search operation had been underway since the attack, involving 100 policemen from both Mumbai and Thane. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dixit Gedam, confirmed the arrest, saying, “We have arrested Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammed Rohilla Amin Fakir, 30, alias Bijoy Das, who hails from Jhalakathi district in Bangladesh.”
CCTV Footage Leads to Identification
The investigation began with CCTV footage, which showed the suspect leaving the building where Saif Ali Khan lives via the fire escape. The police tracked his movements through additional CCTV footage from various locations, including near the National College bus stand on Linking Road, Bandra station, Dadar station, and even a mobile phone shop in Dadar. This helped them track his movements across the city.
A key breakthrough came when police discovered footage of the suspect paying for an omelette via UPI. “That’s how we got his cell number,” said a police officer, which sped up the search for Shariful.
Tracing the Suspect: A Call from His Former Employer
During the search, the police received a call from Jeetendra Pandey, who recognized the suspect from the footage. Pandey claimed he had hired Shariful in the past and even provided the police with the suspect’s number. This tip further narrowed down their search.
As they traced the suspect’s movements, the police found that Shariful had been in contact with someone in Thane. Police quickly detained a 19-year-old in Thane, who led them to a labour camp in Kasarvadavali, where Shariful had planned to hide.
Search in Kasarvadavali Labour Camp
A team of 100 police officers searched the labour camp late on Saturday night, questioning around 30 residents. “The police arrived around 9 pm, called us out, searched our rooms and checked our identity cards. They showed us a photo of the accused and asked if we knew him, but none of us did. We were questioned until midnight,” said Isar Mohammed, a resident at the camp.
With no leads at the camp, the police expanded their search to nearby mangroves. After a thorough search, they found Shariful sleeping in the dense mangroves and arrested him. “We found him sleeping in the dense mangroves and arrested him,” confirmed a police officer.
Suspect’s Realization and Fleeing to Thane
The police later learned that Shariful had spent some time in Worli Koliwada after the stabbing incident. “It was only when he watched the news on YouTube that he realized he had attacked Saif and so he decided to flee,” said the police officer. Shariful then made his way to Thane, where he had a friend and also asked a former employer for money to help him flee to Bangladesh.
Further investigation revealed that Shariful had worked as housekeeping staff at a pub in Worli, Mumbai. It was there that he had stolen money from the establishment. When the pub raised the issue with Shariful’s contractor, he was transferred to another pub in Thane. Shariful worked at the pub, Blabber All Day, from November to December but had been unemployed since then.
Suspect’s Nationality and Fake Documents
Police have confirmed that Shariful is a Bangladeshi national. They discovered an image of his birth certificate on his phone, which led them to apply Section 46 of the Foreigners Act, 1946. A police officer explained, “We have found an image of his birth certificate in his phone. That’s why we decided to apply Section 46 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and sections of the Foreigners Order, 1948.”
It was also discovered that Shariful had changed his name to ‘Bijoy Das’ and had fabricated documents to pose as an Indian citizen.