NEW DELHI: In a significant development in the case of actor Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing, a Face Recognition Test (FRT) has confirmed that Shariful Islam, the arrested Bangladeshi national, is the individual seen in CCTV footage from the victim’s residence in Bandra.
The report’s positive result strengthens the evidence against Shariful, who allegedly attempted to rob Saif’s home on January 16 before stabbing the actor multiple times when confronted.
Shariful, who was arrested in Thane on January 19, had allegedly broken into the 12th-floor apartment of Saif and his wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, with robbery on his mind. According to police reports, after Saif confronted him, the accused attacked the actor before fleeing the scene.
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Shariful reportedly changed his identity after entering India illegally, changing his real name to Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad. The Mumbai police have since been working to uncover the network that facilitated his illegal entry, and investigation teams have been dispatched to Kolkata to gather more details.
Additionally, forensic analysis is ongoing on the items involved in the crime, including the weapon and clothes worn by the accused during the attack.
However, the case has taken a diplomatic turn, as Shariful’s father has publicly claimed that the Mumbai police are framing his son for the stabbing. In protest, Shariful’s father is scheduled to visit the Indian High Commission to voice his concerns about the alleged wrongful arrest.
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Despite mounting evidence from the police, including the FRT’s confirmation, the Bandra magistrate’s court has rejected further police custody for Shariful.
Instead, he was sent into judicial remand, with the court citing no fresh grounds to extend police custody. Meanwhile, Saif, who underwent emergency surgery after the attack, was discharged from the hospital after five days.
