Mumbai Police has revised its statement regarding the identity of the person who stabbed Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
Initially, the suspect was identified as 31-year-old Akash Kanojia, who was caught on a train from Chhattisgarh to Mumbai. However, recent Indian media reports now suggest that the suspect is actually a Bangladeshi national named Muhammad Sharif Islam.
According to police reports, the suspect was employed by a housekeeping agency in Thane and was arrested near the metro construction site in Hiranandani Estate. Reports suggest that he was working at different locations in Mumbai and Thane for about seven to eight months.
Authorities further claim that after attacking Saif Ali Khan, the suspect deactivated his phone, changed his location and kept abreast of the investigation through news updates.
Earlier, footage and photos surfaced of the suspect believed to have entered and attacked Saif Ali Khan’s residence in Bandra. The actor reportedly suffered six stab wounds resulting in injuries to his hands, neck and spine.
The suspect gained access to the compound adjacent to Khan’s building by scaling a wall and then used the back stairs to climb onto the floor of Khan’s apartment. According to police reports, he entered the fire escape and was captured on CCTV in the stairwell of Khan’s building at 2:33 am on Thursday.
The photo shows the suspect wearing a T-shirt and jeans, carrying a backpack, and wearing an orange scarf over his shoulder. The video footage shows him coming down the stairs and facing the camera directly.
Khan’s housekeeper Eliama Phillips alias Lima spotted the suspect and alerted Khan, who confronted the intruder and tried to defend himself. The accused hit Khan six times. Two other house helpers were also injured in the attack.
Khan was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
According to recent reports, Saif is now out of danger and is recovering fast.
