Saif attacker panicked after his image flashed on TV, planned to flee to native Bangladesh: Police

Mumbai: The Bangladeshi national, arrested by Mumbai Police for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan, had panicked upon seeing his image on news channels and was planning to flee to his native country, police officials said on Monday.

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 last Thursday, necessitating surgery.

The shocking nature of the attack raised serious concerns regarding security at the 'Satguru Sharan' building where Khan lives with his family and the motives behind targeting the well-known celebrity.

As the investigations progressed, various 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.

Fakir, a native of Jhalokati in Bangladesh, had been residing in Mumbai for over five months, working odd jobs and associated with a housekeeping agency.

Taking the help of advanced technology, the police identified the intruder's photograph in the CCTV grab and pinpointed him on a motorcycle at a crossing in suburban Andheri on January 9, the officials said.

The investigations took a positive turn when the motorcycle's rider informed police that he was Fakir's former employer. This lead allowed police to obtain the suspect's phone number, which was placed under surveillance, they said.

In a breakthrough on Saturday night, police tracked a digital payment made by the suspect at a food stall near Century Mill in Worli, where he ordered Burji Pav (scrambled eggs with bread) and a bottle of water.

This digital footprint helped the police to trace his location to Thane and search teams were deployed in and around the area, 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.

During interrogation, Fakir said he was panicked upon seeing his image flashed on 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.