The facial recognition test report in the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case has confirmed that the photos of the man arrested — Bangladeshi national Shariful Fakir (30) — match the images of the person seen on CCTV footage.
The report by Kalina FSL was submitted to Bandra police Friday. The footage includes more than two dozen CCTV recordings, selected from over 300 camera captures at Satguru Sharan building in Bandra (W) where Fakir allegedly attacked Saif. Police sought the test due to questions about differences between Fakir’s face and the intruder on CCTV.
“Despite the grainy quality and absence of night vision technology, the forensic report confirms matches across all 12 observation points with the arrested man,” said an officer. The footage was forwarded to FSL after Bandra police informed the magistrate at the Bandra court on Jan 24 about requiring a facial recognition test for Fakir, securing extended police custody. He was subsequently remanded in judicial custody and is lodged at Arthur Road Jail.
The Kalina forensic science laboratory has submitted its facial analysis report to confirm the accused in the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case. The report, submitted to Bandra police, says that the man who has been arrested is the same person as the one seen on CCTV footage.
“The FSL report on Shariful Fakir, who allegedly broke into Saif’s 11th-floor flat (part of the actor’s quadruplex), especially validates that his appearance corresponds with the person recorded on the building’s sixth-floor CCTV footage on Jan 16 (the day of the crime),” said an officer from Bandra police station. “The FSL conducted digital analysis based on facial detection features. The sixth-floor CCTV recording from Satguru Sharan is amongst several analysed footage.”
The report concludes that the arrested accused and the intruder visible on various CCTV images are identical. In the facial recognition test, the picture of Fakir was matched with the person who was seen scurrying down the stairs of Saif’s apartment after stabbing the actor,” the officer said. Joint commissioner of police Satyanarayan Chaudhari confirmed the development.
The police await FSL’s DNA profiling results of Fakir’s cap and other materials seized from the actor’s flat. “Testing the perspiration found on the seized materials will strengthen the case,” said another police officer.
Additionally, blood samples from Saif, staff nurse Eliyama Philip and Fakir’s clothes were sent to FSL to verify blood stains found on the attacker’s clothes. “Beyond facial recognition, we have substantial technical evidence against Shariful, including mobile location data and internet protocol detail record (IPDR), confirming his presence during the incident. We also have technical proof of Shariful’s presence in the area between Jan 1 and 16, when he worked at a hotel near Satguru Sharan,” an officer said.
“The SOPs that are followed by the FSL for the face detection test conducted are on the following observations—forehead, eyebrows, eyes, eye socket, cheeks, nose, nostrils, chin, lips, face-cut, ears, moustache,” said Niteen Pardeshi, senior scientist, Helik Advisory. “In the fields of security and surveillance, tech aids in facial recognition to help identify individuals and enhance security measures.”