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The father of Shariful Fakir, a Bangladeshi immigrant arrested by Mumbai Police for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan during a burglary attempt at his Bandra home, has denied the accusations, claiming that his son was falsely framed. Md Rohul Amin, 55, a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) functionary, told The Times of India (TOI) over WhatsApp call, “They have arrested my son as a suspect, but he is not the one whose photograph the police had released after the incident. They picked him up as an easy target because he entered India illegally.”
According to Amin, the individual shown in the photograph released by the police had long hair, which was in stark contrast to Shariful’s short, upward-styled hair. He believes this is a case of mistaken identity and has already approached senior political figures in Bangladesh to address the matter as a diplomatic issue.
Shariful, the second of three sons of Rohul, had dropped out of school after Class 10 and began working odd jobs following his father’s job loss at Khulna Jute Mill. Rohul shared, “We may be poor, but we are not criminals. In Bangladesh, he used to ride a bike taxi for a living. But due to political instability and backlash against supporters of Khaleda Zia after Sheikh Hasina’s government returned to power, he decided to leave the country to seek better prospects.”
Rohul revealed that Shariful had entered India illegally and initially worked in West Bengal before moving to Mumbai, where he secured a job at a bar. He also confirmed that Shariful had contacted the family on Friday evening, 38 hours after the stabbing incident at Saif Ali Khan’s residence. During the call, Shariful mentioned transferring 10,000 Bangladeshi taka via hawala, leaving only 3,000 taka for himself.
Rohul, visibly distressed, stated, “He can never loot or attack someone. The police have framed him just because he is an easy suspect. We demand justice.”
This case has attracted international attention, with the family alleging political motivation behind the arrest due to Shariful’s past political affiliations. Rohul hopes for diplomatic intervention to ensure justice for his son.
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