Mumbai: The Mumbai police have recorded Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s statement in connection with the knife attack on him by an intruder at his residence last week, officials said on Friday.
A team of the Bandra police recorded the actor’s statement on Thursday, an official said.
Khan was stabbed multiple times allegedly by Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30) alias Vijay Das, a Bangladeshi national staying illegally in India. The attack took place at Khan’s residence in the Satguru Sharan building in upscale Bandra in the early hours of January 16 during a robbery attempt by the intruder.
Recalling the incident, Khan said that he and his actor wife Kareena Kapoor Khan were in their bedroom on the 11th floor of the Satguru Sharan building when they heard their younger son Jehangir’s (Jeh) nanny scream.
Awakened by her screams, Khan and Ms Kapoor rushed to their son’s room where they saw the alleged attacker. While the nanny – Eliyama Philips – was scared and screaming, Jeh was crying, Mr Khan told the police.
When Mr Khan tried to stop the accused, he stabbed the actor several times on his back, neck, and hands, police sources said. Due to the continuous knife attacks, his grip loosened, however, despite being injured, the actor pushed the intruder inside the room as Ms Philips ran away with Jeh and locked him in, they added.
Saif Ali Khan and his family members – wife and actor Kareena Kapoor, and their two sons Jeh and Taimur – were in the house when the attacker entered the 12th-floor apartment for an apparent burglary. According to Ms Philips, the intruder had demanded Rs 1 crore.
Khan, who suffered six stab injuries – one of which was on his spine – was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital around 2 am on the night of the incident. He underwent surgery to fix leaking spinal fluid and plastic surgeries on his arm and neck. He was discharged on January 21.
The alleged attacker Shariful Islam, who had illegally entered India from Bangladesh last year, was arrested last week from Thane near Mumbai after a three-day manhunt involving at least 20 teams from the Mumbai Police. The cops zeroed in on his location after he paid for breakfast – a paratha – via a Google Pay transaction, sources told NDTV.
The Mumbai Police also found several fingerprints of the accused at the actor’s residence, on the stairs of the building, the door of the toilet, and the door handle of his son Jeh’s room – which have been sent for evaluation.
The 30-year-old accused reportedly confessed to the crime two days after the arrest saying, “Haan, maine hi kiya hai (yes, I did it)”.
However, Shariful’s father defended his son by saying he was “wrongfully implicated” in the incident.
“From what is shown in the CCTV… my son never keeps his hair long. I believe my son is being framed. He left Bangladesh and came to India for one reason – the political unrest in Bangladesh… He was working where he received a salary, and his employer even rewarded him,” Md Ruhul Amin Fakir said.
