A 70-hour manhunt involving multiple teams of Mumbai Police culminated in the arrest of Shariful Islam, the man accused of stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan, in Thane during the early hours of Sunday. The investigation faced several challenges, including detaining multiple individuals before identifying the main culprit.
Initially, confusion arose as other individuals resembling the accused captured in CCTV footage were detained, but later found to have no connection to the case. One such individual was brought to Bandra Police Station but released after being cleared of involvement.
On Saturday, the police detained a 31-year-old suspect, Aakash Kanojia, on a train in Chhattisgarh’s Durg. Acting on a tip-off from the Juhu Police Station, RPF personnel located Kanojia in the general coach of the Jnaneswari Express. While his criminal record and physical resemblance to the attacker in CCTV footage raised suspicions, the police clarified that he was only a suspect and not the main accused.
The breakthrough came early Sunday when Shariful Islam was apprehended in Thane. The police had meticulously analyzed multiple CCTV recordings, including footage from Saif Ali Khan’s residence and nearby train stations, to track him down. Islam’s lack of Indian identification documents led investigators to suspect that he might be a Bangladeshi national. Further inquiries are underway to ascertain his nationality.
The arrest marked the end of a tense, multi-day search and highlighted the complexities of the investigation. With the main accused in custody, authorities are now focused on uncovering further details about the attack and the attacker’s background.
