Mumbai:
The man arrested for allegedly breaking into actor Saif Ali Khan’s Mumbai home and stabbing him six times is a Bangladeshi national who entered India illegally and had been living in Mumbai for the past few months, Mumbai Police said today.
Speaking to the media this morning, Deputy Commissioner of Police Dixit Gedam said they have arrested an accused in connection with the burglary attempt at the actor’s Bandra home late on Wednesday night. The accused, he said, had been identified as Mohammad Sariful Islam Shehzad. “The investigation has revealed that this accused could be from Bangladesh. He does not have any Indian document. We suspect he is from Bangladesh, we are investigating and have added Passport Act charges to the case against him,” the senior officer said, adding that the accused entered the actor’s home to commit robbery.
“We have recovered some items from him that suggest he is from Bangladesh. He came to India illegally and changed his name to Bijoy Das. He has been living in Mumbai for about four months and was working at a housekeeping agency,” the senior officer said.
Mr Gedam added that the accused had been arrested from Thane and is now bein questioned.
The intruder had managed to break into the actor’s home through the fire exit at the back. His maid spotted him and screamed. When Mr Khan confronted him, the attacker stabbed him six times and fled. The actor was rushed to the nearby Lilavati Hospital. Doctors have said he is recovering well.
“The robber asked for money and when he was opposed, he attacked the maid Junu and Saif Ali Khan and injured them. Police have taken the accused into custody on the basis of technical evidence. The accused’s name is Shariful Islam Shehzad and he is a Bangladeshi national,” a police statement said, adding that the accused has also been charged under sections relating to illegally entering India.
The attack on the popular actor has shocked the nation and prompted questions the law and order situation in the Maximum City. From the Opposition to members of the cinema fraternity, several prominent voices have questioned the Devendra Fadnavis government on how safe ordinary people are if celebrities can be attacked like this.
Under fire, the Chief Minister has said, “Among all the megacities in the country, Mumbai is the safest. It is true that some incidents take place sometimes and they should be treated with seriousness but to say, based on one incident, that Mumbai is unsafe would not be correct. This tarnishes Mumbai’s image. But the government is working to make Mumbai even safer.”
