The Bangladeshi national arrested for stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has told the police that he attacked the actor multiple times in the back to free himself from his grip, an official said on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), alias Vijay Das, was arrested on Sunday from neighbouring Thane. The 54-year-old actor was attacked in the early hours of January 16 at his residence in the upscale Bandra area.
According to the police, Fakir entered Khan's flat in the Satguru Sharan building through the bathroom window with the intention of theft. He was soon spotted by the actor’s staff, leading to a confrontation. As the situation escalated, Khan intervened and tightly held the accused from the front. Unable to move, Fakir began stabbing the actor multiple times in his back to free himself, the official said, as per news agency PTI.
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Saif Ali Khan Attack Case: Accused Escaped Through Bathroom Window, Hid In Building’s Garden After Stabbing
Following the attack, the accused managed to escape through the same bathroom window and hid in the building’s garden for nearly two hours, he added. Assuming that the intruder was still inside, Khan locked the main door of his flat.
Police officials earlier said that Fakir’s fingerprints were found at multiple locations at the crime scene, including the bathroom window, the duct shaft, and the ladder he used to gain entry. Fakir, a native of Jhalokathi district in Bangladesh, had been residing in Mumbai for over five months, taking up odd jobs and working with a housekeeping agency, they said, as per PTI.
Doctors at Lilavati Hospital performed emergency surgery on Khan and removed a sharp object lodged in his spine. The actor was discharged on Tuesday, five days after the attack.
A court in Mumbai has remanded the accused in five-day police custody.