Mumbai police have revised the statement regarding identity of the individual accused of stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
Initially, the suspect was identified as 31-year-old Akash Kanojia, who was apprehended on a train traveling from Chhattisgarh to Mumbai. However, recent reports from Indian media outlets now suggest that the suspect is actually a Bangladeshi national named Mohammad Sharif Islam.
As per police reports the suspect was employed by a housekeeping agency in Thane and was arrested near a metro construction site in Hiranandani Estate. Reports suggest that he had been working in various locations in Mumbai and Thane for approximately seven to eight months.
Authorities further claim that after attacking Saif Ali Khan, the suspect deactivated his phone, changed locations, and remained informed about the investigation through news updates.
Previously, footage and images of the suspect believed to have entered Saif Ali Khan’s residence in Bandra and launched the attack surfaced. The actor reportedly sustained six stab wounds, resulting in injuries to his hand, neck, and spine.
The suspect gained access to the compound adjacent to Khan’s building by scaling a wall and then used the rear stairs to ascend to the floors housing Khan’s apartment. He entered through a fire escape and was captured on CCTV at 2:33 am on Thursday in the stairwell of Khan’s building, police reports say.
The photo depicts the suspect wearing a t-shirt and jeans, carrying a backpack, and sporting what appears to be an orange scarf on his shoulder. The video footage shows him descending the stairs and directly facing the camera.
Khan’s house help, Eliyama Phillipes alias Lima, spotted the suspect and alerted Khan, who confronted the intruder and attempted to defend himself. The suspect stabbed Khan six times. Two other house helps were also injured in the attack.
Khan was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
As per recent reports Saif is out of danger now and is recovering quickly.
