Attack on Saif Ali Khan: Attacker arrested from Thane, cops suspect to be Bangladeshi national

PTC Web Desk: The Mumbai police has arrested a man who allegedly attacked Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan in his Mumbai residence on January 16 from Mumbai's Thane. The cops have suggested that the arrested accused doubted to be a Bangladeshi national'

"There is preliminary evidence to suggest that the accused is a Bangladeshi. He does not have valid Indian documents. Some items seized indicate that he is a Bangladeshi national," Dixit Gedam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone 9, said during a press conference.

According to the police, the accused entered the residence of the renowned actor with the intent to commit theft. The incident occurred around 2:00 AM on January 16, during which Saif Ali Khan was attacked and sustained serious injuries, including stab wounds to his thoracic spine.

The accused will be produced before the court, DCP Gedam said, adding, “We will seek police custody. We doubt that the accused is of Bangladeshi origin and thus, we have invoked relevant sections of the Passport Act as well.”

“Prima facie the accused is a Bangladeshi and after entering India illegally he changed his name. Currently, he is using Vijay Das as his name. He came to Mumbai five to six months ago. The accused was using multiple aliases. He stayed in Mumbai for a few days and then in the vicinity of Mumbai. He used to work in a Housekeeping agency,” the DCP said. 

In a parallel development, another suspect, 31-year-old Aakash Kailash Kannojia, was detained at Chhattisgarh's Durg railway station based on inputs from the Mumbai Police. Kannojia was found aboard the Mumbai-Howrah Jnaneswari Express and taken into custody by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel. The police acted swiftly on information provided, including the suspect’s photograph and train details. He was travelling without a ticket and reportedly resembled the intruder.

The attack took place while Saif Ali Khan was at home with his wife, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, and their two sons, four-year-old Jeh and eight-year-old Taimur. A nurse, Eliyama Philip, who cares for Jeh, and another staff member were also injured during the attack.

In her statement to the police, Philip recounted hearing noises around 2 am. She initially assumed Kareena Kapoor Khan was checking on Jeh but soon discovered an armed man in the bathroom. The intruder, wielding a wooden stick and a long blade, demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore.

When Philip attempted to protect Jeh, the intruder attacked her, causing injuries to her wrists and fingers. Hearing her screams, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan rushed out of their room. Saif confronted the attacker, who struck him with a wooden object and the blade. The family managed to escape to the upper floor of their home while the intruder fled the scene.