Mumbai:
In a shocking turn of events, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed during a failed burglary attempt at his Mumbai residence, highlighting the alarming vulnerability of high-profile residences to illegal intruders. The attacker, identified as Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national, has confessed to the crime following a massive 70-hour manhunt.
Saif Ali Khan, a 54-year-old renowned Bollywood actor, was brutally stabbed six times during the early hours of Thursday, January 16, 2025, at his 12th-floor residence in the Satguru Sharan building in upscale Bandra, Mumbai. The attack occurred between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m. when Shehzad, who had been living in Mumbai under the alias Bijoy Das, broke into the actor’s home.
Shehzad, a former national-level wrestler in Bangladesh, confronted Khan’s maid before the actor intervened, leading to a violent altercation. Khan sustained deep injuries, including a critical wound near his spine and another on his left wrist, and underwent emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital. The medical team removed a 2.5-inch piece of a broken knife from his spine, noting that if the knife had pierced just 2 mm deeper, it could have caused a severe and potentially life-threatening injury.
The Mumbai Police launched an extensive operation involving a 150-member team to track down the suspect. Using CCTV footage and other evidence, they finally located Shehzad in a forested area in Thane. Shehzad had been hiding in a labour camp near the Hiranandani Estate in Kasarvadavali, Thane, about 35 kilometres from Khan’s residence. Despite his attempts to evade capture by hiding in bushes, he was arrested after a seven-hour search operation on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
During interrogation, Shehzad confessed to the crime, admitting, “Haan, maine hi kiya hai” (Yes, I did it). He had been closely monitoring the police investigation through news channels, saving screenshots of suspects shown by the media on his mobile phone. This meticulous tracking of the investigation suggests a calculated attempt to avoid detection.
Shehzad, who entered India illegally, had been working in Mumbai for the past four months. He had scoped out several high-profile residences, including Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat, before targeting Saif Ali Khan’s home. His motivation was financial desperation; he had been unemployed for a month and was seeking funds to return to Bangladesh. Inspired by comments from an auto driver about celebrity homes in Bandra, Shehzad decided to rob a high-profile residence to finance his return.
Shehzad has been charged under various sections, including armed robbery, grievous assault, and violations of the Foreigners’ Act. A court granted a five-day police remand for Shehzad following his arrest. The incident has raised significant concerns about the security of high-profile residences in Mumbai and the issue of illegal immigration, highlighting the use of fake documents by migrants to secure employment in India.
