Saif Ali Khan Stabbing: Accused’s Lawyer Rejects Police’s Bangladeshi Nationality Claim, Says He’s Lived in Mumbai for 7 Years

The lawyer of the individual arrested for the stabbing of actor Saif Ali Khan has refuted the police’s claim that the accused is a Bangladeshi national. He asserts that the accused, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, has been residing in Mumbai for seven years. This comes after Shehzad was placed in five-day police custody by the Bandra Holiday Court on Sunday. His attorney, Sandeep Shekhane, argued that the police had not conducted a proper investigation and claimed they lacked evidence to prove Shehzad’s Bangladeshi nationality.

“A police custody for 5 days has been granted. The court has asked the police to submit a report within 5 days. The police have no proof that he is a Bangladeshi. They said that he came here 6 months ago, it is a wrong statement. He has been living here for more than 7 years. His family is in Mumbai… This is a clear-cut violation of 43A. No proper investigation has been done,” Shekhane told reporters.

Another lawyer representing the accused, Dinesh Prajapati, questioned the validity of the police’s request for custody, claiming the reasons provided were insufficient.

“The police demanded police custody and the grounds given by the police for the police custody are not sufficient…We have given in his (accused) defence that nothing has been recovered from him (Accused Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad)…They (Police) have not produced any document proving that he is a Bangladeshi national…The Court has granted his 5-day police custody,” Prajapati told ANI.

The accused, Shehzad, is alleged to have entered Saif Ali Khan’s Bandra residence with the intention of committing theft. Police state that the accused, originally from Jhalokati in Bangladesh, was detained at Thane’s Hiranandani Estate while attempting to flee.

The case, reported by Aleyamma Philip, a 56-year-old staff nurse, involved the attack on Saif Ali Khan, who suffered multiple stab wounds, including one to his thoracic spine. The actor is now recovering well after surgery to remove a 2.5-inch blade, and while out of danger, his condition is being closely monitored by medical staff.