Bhurji Pav, UPI Payment And A Bottle Of Water: How Mumbai Police Nabbed Saif Ali Khan's Stabber 70 Hours After The Attack

Saif Ali Khan was brutally stabbed repeatedly at his Bandra home on the wee hours of January 16 in a robbery bid by an intruder. In an over 70-hour joint operation between the Mumbai police and the crime branch, the accused was taken into custody from the Thane area of the city. The accused has been identified as a Bangladeshi national - Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir who changed his name to Vijay Das. Know how exactly the cops nabbed the attacker.

How did the police catch Saif Ali Khan's attacker? 

The shocking nature of the attack raised serious concerns regarding security at the Satguru Sharan building where Saif Ali Khan lives with his family and about the motive for targeting the Bollywood star. As the investigations progressed, teams of Mumbai Police combed through hours of footage from different areas of the city to gather evidence. Initially, police faced challenges in tracing the lone assailant. Mumbai police identified the intruder from CCTV grab and ascertained that he was riding a motorcycle at a crossing in suburban Andheri on January 9, as per PTI. The motorcycle owner informed police that he was Fakir's former employer. This lead helped police obtain the suspect's phone number, which was placed under surveillance, the officials said.

In a breakthrough on Saturday night, police tracked a digital payment made by the suspect at a food stall near Century Mills in Worli, where he ordered Bhurji Pav (a popular scrambled egg dish made with eggs, onions, tomatoes, and spices) and a bottle of water. This digital footprint helped the police to trace his location to Thane and search teams were deployed in the area, the officials said. The accused was eventually located lying on the ground in a dense mangrove area near a labour camp at Hiranandani Estate in Thane.

Saif Ali Khan's attacker panicked seeing his photo on national television, was prepared to flee to Bangladesh  

The Bangladeshi national arrested for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan had panicked upon seeing his image on TV channels and was planning to flee to his native country when he was nabbed, police officials told PTI on Monday. Police also said the 30-year-old attacker asked his brother in Bangladesh to send documents which helped cops to ascertain his identity as a resident of the neighbouring country. The accused, identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir who changed his name to Vijay Das, was arrested on Sunday after an extensive examination of CCTV footage, which showed him riding a motorcycle on January 9, a week before the violent attack.

Khan was repeatedly stabbed by the intruder inside his upscale Bandra apartment on Thursday, necessitating surgery. During interrogation, Fakir said he panicked upon seeing his image flash on TV news channels and social media. He claimed that he planned to flee back to Bangladesh, officials said. The officials said that fingerprints collected from the duct and washroom window at the crime scene will be matched with those of the accused as part of the ongoing investigation. Doctors at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, where Saif Ali Khan is undergoing treatment, said the actor is recovering and may be discharged soon.

(With inputs from PTI)