- Friday, January 24, 2025
The police had sought to extend his custody for further investigation. The court allowed their plea and extended it till January 29
By: India Weekly
A MUMBAI court on Friday extended till January 29 the police custody of the Bangladeshi man arrested for allegedly stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his home during a robbery attempt last week.
Police produced the accused, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), before a magistrate’s court in Bandra at the end of his previous remand.
They sought his custody for seven more days from the court, arguing further investigation into some crucial aspects of the case was required.
The court allowed the police plea and extended his custody till January 29.
Khan’s attacker, arrested from adjoining Thane city, is a Bangladeshi who changed his name to Vijay Das after illegally entering India last year, police earlier said.
The 54-year-old actor was repeatedly stabbed by the knife-wielding intruder inside his 12th-floor apartment in upscale Bandra in the early hours of Thursday (January 16) during a robbery attempt.
Khan’s statement
Khan’s statement was recorded by Bandra police on Thursday (23), where he described the violent confrontation with the intruder.
The actor told police that he had overpowered the intruder, but his grip loosened after the latter stabbed him repeatedly on his back with a knife.
Khan recounted the fear his family and staff experienced upon encountering the armed intruder, and how he rushed towards the assailant to protect his son and the staff.
The actor was admitted to Lilavati Hospital where he underwent two surgeries following stab injuries, including on his neck and near the spine. He was discharged from the private hospital on January 21.
Mumbai police have now stepped up security and deployed two constables in two shifts outside Khan’s Bandra residence.
“CCTV cameras and widow grills have also been installed as part of security,” a police official said.
Knife piece
Police claim that the third piece of the knife used to attack Khan has been recovered from a nearby lake.
“The third piece of the knife, which comprises the handle and some part of the blade, was recovered from close to Bandra Talao, more than a kilometre away from the actor’s residence. We took the accused to the lake on Wednesday evening and recovered this missing part of the knife,” the Bandra police station official said.
While one piece of the knife blade broke and got lodged near the spine of the actor during the attack, which had to be surgically removed, the second part was found in Khan’s house when ‘panchnama’ was carried out, the official informed.
He showed us where he had disposed of the knife after walking 1.4 kilometre post the incident, the official said.
“He has told us he stole the knife from the Thane restaurant where he was working,” the police official added. (PTI)
