Saif Ali Khan Attack: Main accused sent to 14 days judicial custody by Bandra Court

The Bandra Court in Mumbai has sent Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, also known as Bijoy Das, to 14 days of judicial custody on Wednesday following his arrest in connection with the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.

The decision came after the police sought a two-day extension of his custody for further investigation, but the court noted that there were no fresh grounds to justify it. The magistrate observed that the investigation appeared complete and that no new evidence had emerged.

Meanwhile, the court added that the police could request fresh custody if any new developments arose within the permissible period.


The incident occurred in the early hours of January 16, when Khan was attacked at his 12th-floor Bandra residence and stabbed six times.

Mumbai police arrested the Bangladeshi national from neighbouring Thane on January 19. Police officials stated that they have gathered "ample and strong evidence" against the accused, including documentary, physical, and technical proof.

Shariful Islam's police custody was extended until January 29 by the Mumbai court, as authorities continue their investigation.

The police have requested facial recognition technology to verify his identity in the footage and are also examining statements from Saif Ali Khan, his wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, and the house staff in connection with the attack.

Strong evidence against accused

During a press conference earlier, Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region), Paramjit Dahiya, confirmed the progress of the investigation, describing the detection as "excellent, proof-based" and crediting the DCP Zone 9 team and the crime branch for their efforts.

He stated that the evidence collected was substantial, including both physical and technical data.

"We have ample and strong evidence against the accused person, including documentary, physical, and technical," Dahiya said. He further added that the police would explore face recognition technology to confirm the accused's identity as part of the evidence collection process before filing the chargesheet.

The probe continues

The police have not found any other associates of the accused during the investigation. However, they are questioning individuals whom he was in contact with before and after the attack.

"We have sent the samples of fingerprints to the Crime Investigation Department (CID), but as of now, we have not received any official report regarding his fingerprints," Dahiya added. Despite these claims, he confirmed that the arrested suspect is the same person seen in the CCTV footage of the attack.

Controversy around the arrest

In a twist to the investigation, Mohammad Ruhul, the father of the arrested man, has publicly claimed that his son is being wrongly framed.

Ruhul alleged that the person seen in the CCTV footage was not Shariful and said his son had been living in fear of arrest due to his lack of proper documentation for his stay in India.

Ruhul announced that he would approach Bangladesh’s foreign ministry and the Indian High Commission to secure his son’s release.