NEW DELHI: The Bangladeshi national arrested for the knife attack on Saif Ali Khan on 16th January entered India illegally seven months ago, using a West Bengal resident’s Aadhaar card to obtain a SIM card before relocating to Mumbai, police reported on Tuesday.
The accused, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), was arrested on Sunday in Thane, a neighbouring city of Mumbai, for the stabbing incident at the Bollywood actor’s residence in Bandra.
According to the police, Fakir, who assumed the alias Vijay Das, crossed the Dawki River to enter India unlawfully.
An official stated that the accused stayed in West Bengal for a few weeks and utilised the Aadhaar card of a local individual to procure a SIM card before travelling to Mumbai in search of employment.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the SIM card used by the accused was registered under the name Khukumoni Jahangir Sekha, a resident of West Bengal.
The official added that Fakir attempted to obtain an Aadhaar card for himself but was unsuccessful.
In Mumbai, the accused sought jobs that did not require documentation. Labour contractor Amit Pandey assisted him in securing housekeeping roles in pubs and hotels in areas such as Worli and Thane.
Upon examining Fakir’s mobile phone, the police discovered that he had made numerous calls to Bangladesh and used mobile applications to communicate with his family in the neighbouring country.
Saif Ali Khan (54) was repeatedly stabbed by the intruder inside his 12th-floor apartment on 16th January, necessitating surgical intervention.
The Bandra metropolitan magistrate’s court has remanded the accused into police custody for five days as investigations continue.