Saif Ali Khan attack case: Bangladeshi suspect claims ‘theft gone wrong’

The Bandra police on Sunday claimed they suspect an international conspiracy in the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan suggesting broader implications following the alleged involvement of an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant The accused identified as Mohammed Shariful Islam Shehzad 30 alias Vijay Das was apprehended in Thane after a massive manhunt conducted by the Mumbai police and the Crime Branch During interrogation the accused reportedly told the police he was unaware he had entered the actorrsquos house and only realised it after watching news reports on YouTube He further admitted to planning his escape to BangladeshSr PI Crime Branch Unit 09 Daya Nayak and his team were also part of the probe which helped in tracing the accusedThe accused was produced before the Bandra holiday court on Sunday and remanded to five days of police custody Advocate Sandeep Sherkhane representing the accused argued that his client is being made a scapegoat in the case and has no connection to the attack on Saif Ali KhanInvestigating officer S Gaikwad informed the court that the accused was involved in the attack which caused serious injuries to the actorrsquos neck wrist and back A portion of the knife used in the assault was lodged in Khanrsquos back and was surgically removed by doctors The knife fragment has been seized as evidenceGaikwad further stated that the accused had been absconding for three days before being arrested in Thane Initial investigations revealed that the accused had no valid documents and is suspected to be a Bangladeshi national who illegally crossed the border into India via West Bengal ldquoHe has been residing here for the past 56 months working at various places He is familiar with the residences of other celebrities We are investigating whether an international conspiracy is involved as the attack on the actor could have broader implicationsrdquo Gaikwad told the court while seeking 14 days of custodyThe defence lawyer Sandeep Sherkhane countered the claims asserting that his client has been residing in Mumbai for the past seven years and has a family ldquoHe is being made a scapegoat in this case simply because it involves a celebrity He has no connection to the incidentrdquo Sherkhane arguedGaikwad while pushing for extended custody added that the police need to verify how the accused entered India who assisted him and why he specifically targeted the actorrsquos residence ldquoIt appears theft was not the only motive and we need to determine if others are involved in the caserdquo he saidAfter hearing arguments from both sides the court remanded the accused to five days of police custody for further investigationIn a media briefing DCP Dixit Gedam stated that the accused lacked valid Indian documents and is suspected to be a Bangladeshi national ldquoAs a result sections of the Foreigners Act have also been added to the caserdquo Gedam saidTheft was motiveAccording to sources the accused was apprehended in Thane and asked to produce identification documents but he had none Upon questioning he revealed his name and admitted he was from Bangladesh When asked to provide his address in writing he disclosed Village Rajbaria Police Station Nalchity District Jhalokati BangladeshSources stated that the accused worked with a housekeeping company The company contract expired during the first week of January On January 9 he came to Mumbai from Thane and briefly worked near Bhabha Hospital at a lodge for three days From there he spotted Saif Ali Khanrsquos building and noticed security lapsesHe planned to enter the building with the intent of theft Late on January 16 the accused climbed into the premises from an adjacent building using a shaft He then took the stairs to the 10th floor and used the fire duct to enter the 11th floor where the actor resides with his family The accused entered a washroom but panicked when a housemaid spotted him In an attempt to escape he attacked everyone who approached himOfficials revealed that the accused was unaware he had entered Saif Ali Khanrsquos residence until he later saw the news on YouTube ldquoHe was planning to escape but we received timely information A team of over 100 police officials from the eastern region was dispatched to Thane and the accused was apprehendedrdquo said Satyanarayan Chaudhary joint commissioner law and order