NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing investigation into Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing case, a new angle has emerged as the accused’s lawyer questioned claims about his Bangladeshi origin. Lawyer Sandeep Shekhane said the police have no evidence to prove that Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzadthe accused is a Bangladeshi national.
Soon after Shehzad’s arrest on Sunday morning at Hiranandani Estate in Thane, police said he had entered India six months ago from Bangladesh. However, Shekhane refuted these allegations and stated that his client has been living in Mumbai for more than seven years with his family.
“Police custody has been granted for five days and the court has directed them to submit a report within this period. The police have no evidence that he is Bangladeshi. The claim that he came here six months ago is false. This is a clear violation of Section 43A as no proper investigation has been carried out,” Shekhane said.
He also alleged procedural failures in the case and questioned the reasons why police custody was granted.
Sherkhane said: “There are glitches. The notification was not complied with as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court. Police custody was granted but there is no mention of threat to life or murder in remand copy or FIR copy. Despite this, there are sectors involved. “There was no intent to murder.”
Another advocate for the accused, Dinesh Prajapati, also refuted these allegations and said that his client has been living in Mumbai with his family.
“The police demanded custody, but the reasons given were insufficient,” Prajapati said. “In his defence, we argue that nothing has been recovered from him and the police have not produced any document to prove that he is a Bangladeshi citizen. Despite this, the court has granted police custody for five days.”
Shehzad, 30, is accused of attacking Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra residence in the early hours of Thursday. The intruder allegedly broke into Khan’s luxurious home and stabbed him several times with a knife.
The actor suffered injuries to his neck and near his spine and is currently being treated in Lilavati Hospitalwhere it is in stable condition.
Police are now investigating whether the attack was premeditated and whether Shehzad had accomplices. Authorities have stated that further questioning will help uncover additional details about the motive for the attack.