NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing investigation into the stabbing case of Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, a fresh angle has emerged as the accused’s advocate has questioned claims about his Bangladeshi origin. The advocate, Sandeep Shekhane, stated that police have no evidence to prove that Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, the accused, is a Bangladeshi national.
Shortly after Shehzad’s arrest on Sunday morning from Hiranandani Estate in Thane, police said he had entered India six months ago from Bangladesh. However, Shekhane refuted these allegations, asserting that his client has been living in Mumbai for over seven years with his family.
“Police custody for five days has been granted, and the court has directed them to submit a report within this time frame. The police have no proof that he is a Bangladeshi. The claim that he came here six months ago is false. This is a clear violation of Section 43A as no proper investigation has been conducted,” Shekhane said.
He has also alleged procedural lapses in the case and questioned the grounds on which police custody was granted.
Sherkhane said, “There are lapses. The notice was not complied with as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court. Police custody was given, but there is no mention of threatening of life or murder in the remand copy or FIR copy. Despite this, sections are being implicated. There was no intention of murder.”
Another advocate of accused, Dinesh Prajapati also refuted these allegations, saying that his client has been living in Mumbai with his family.
“The police demanded custody, but the grounds provided were insufficient,” Prajapati said. “In his defence, we argued that nothing has been recovered from him, and the police have not produced any documents proving he is a Bangladeshi national. Despite this, the court has granted a five-day police custody.”
Shehzad, 30, is accused of attacking Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra residence in the wee hours of Thursday. The intruder allegedly broke into Khan’s upscale home and stabbed him multiple times with a knife.
The actor sustained injuries to his neck and near the spine and is currently being treated at Lilavati Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
Police are now probing whether the attack was premeditated and if Shehzad had any accomplices. Authorities have stated that further interrogation will help uncover additional details about the motive behind the attack.
