Saif attack: Court says ‘international conspiracy’ can’t be ruled out

The Mumbai police’s contention of an international conspiracy cannot be ruled out in the Saif Ali Khan attack case since the suspect is a Bangladeshi national, a local court ruled on Sunday (January 19) while remanding him in police custody.

Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad will remain in police custody till January 24.

The police counsel argued in court that the accused was a Bangladeshi national and there was a need to find the motive behind his act. They also told court that they needed to find out if there was an international conspiracy linked to the case.

Also read: Saif Ali Khan stabbing | What we know about Shariful, the main accused

Defence’s argument

Accepting the police’s contention after perusing the documents on record, the court said the prosecution’s submission of international conspiracy “cannot be said to be impossible” and hence “sufficient time” had to be given to the investigating officer.

However, the police’s request for a 14-day custody was turned down, as the defence lawyer contested it strongly, arguing that the accused was not a Bangladeshi but an Indian citizen living in Mumbai.

“The matter is being unnecessarily hyped because it involves Saif Ali Khan. Otherwise, it would have been treated as a normal case,” the defence lawyer said, claiming that the reasons for custody were not clearly stated in the remand application. “The accused is a young man with no prior criminal record and is being made a scapegoat,” he claimed.

Also read: Saif Ali Khan attack: Man detained in Chhattisgarh's released, say police

What we know about attacker

Earlier in the day, the police told the media that Shehzad was a Bangladeshi national who had illegally entered India and changed his name to Bijoy Das. He was held from the adjoining Thane city.

According to preliminary probe, he entered the Bollywood star’s home in Satguru Sharan building in Bandra in the early hours of January 16 with the intention of theft, police said.

Khan (54) was stabbed multiple times in the attack, suffering grievous injuries, after which he underwent a five-hour surgery at the nearby Lilavati Hospital. A part of the knife was entrenched in his body, which had to be surgically removed.

(With agency inputs)