Cops Say Saif Attacker Is Bangladeshi, Changed Name After Coming To India

The man arrested for allegedly breaking into actor Saif Ali Khan's Mumbai home and stabbing him six times is a Bangladeshi national who entered India illegally and had been living in Mumbai for the past few months, Mumbai Police said today.

Speaking to the media this morning, Deputy Commissioner of Police Dixit Gedam said they have arrested an accused in connection with the burglary attempt at the actor's Bandra home late on Wednesday night. The accused, he said, had been identified as Mohammad Sariful Islam Shehzad. "The investigation has revealed that this accused could be from Bangladesh. He does not have any Indian document. We suspect he is from Bangladesh, we are investigating and have added Passport Act charges to the case against him," the senior officer said, adding that the accused entered the actor's home to commit robbery.

"We have recovered some items from him that suggest he is from Bangladesh. He came to India illegally and changed his name to Bijoy Das. He has been living in Mumbai for about four months and was working at a housekeeping agency," the senior officer said.

Mr Gedam added that the accused had been arrested from Thane and is now bein questioned.

The intruder had managed to break into the actor's home through the fire exit at the back. His maid spotted him and screamed. When Mr Khan confronted him, the attacker stabbed him six times and fled. The actor was rushed to the nearby Lilavati Hospital. Doctors have said he is recovering well.

"The robber asked for money and when he was opposed, he attacked the maid Junu and Saif Ali Khan and injured them. Police have taken the accused into custody on the basis of technical evidence. The accused's name is Shariful Islam Shehzad and he is a Bangladeshi national," a police statement said, adding that the accused has also been charged under sections relating to illegally entering India.

What Happened That Night

In her statement to the police, Eliyama Philip, who works as a nanny for Saif's sons, has said she was the first to spot the intruder. The 56-year-old has said was woken up by some noises around 2 am. She saw the bathroom door ajar and the light on and assumed that Kareena Kapoor Khan was checking in on her younger son Jahangir or Jeh.

"... then I went back to sleep but, again, I realised something was wrong. So I woke up again and saw a man come out of the bathroom and go into the boy's room. I quickly got up and went to Jeh's room. The attacker then put his finger near his mouth and said 'Don't make any noise, nobody will go out' in Hindi," Ms Philip said.

"When I rushed to pick up Jeh, the man, armed with a wooden stick and a long Hexa blade. ran towards me and tried attacking me, she said.

"I tried to block the attack by putting my hand forward, but the blade hit me near the wrists of both my hands and on the middle finger of my left hand," she said.

"At that time, I asked him, 'What do you want?'. He said, 'I want money.' I asked, 'How much do you want?' He said in English, 'one crore'," Ms Philip has said in her statement.

Hearing Ms Philip scream, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan rushed out of their room. When Mr Khan asked the intruder what he wanted, he attacked him with a wooden object and the hexa blade, Ms Philip said.

"Saif Sir somehow managed to get away from him and we all ran out of the room and pulled the door of the room," she said, adding that everyone then went to the upper floor of their home. The intruder later escape, she said.

An Attack That Shocked Mumbai

The attack on the popular actor has shocked the nation and prompted questions the law and order situation in the Maximum City. From the Opposition to members of the cinema fraternity, several prominent voices have questioned the Devendra Fadnavis government on how safe ordinary people are if celebrities can be attacked like this.

Under fire, the Chief Minister has said, "Among all the megacities in the country, Mumbai is the safest. It is true that some incidents take place sometimes and they should be treated with seriousness but to say, based on one incident, that Mumbai is unsafe would not be correct. This tarnishes Mumbai's image. But the government is working to make Mumbai even safer."