Saif stabbing: UPI payment for paratha, water led Mumbai police to alleged attacker
Shariful’s use of his Gpay at a shop in Worli helped the police to get his mobile number. That was a turning point in the investigation by Mumbai police
An UPI payment through Google Pay (G Pay) for paratha and a water bottle at a stall near Century Mill in Worli turned out to a major lead for the Mumbai Police to track down the alleged attacker of actor Saif Ali Khan.
Mohammad Shariful Islam (30) was finally picked up on the night of January 18th in Thane, where he was hiding, even as a manhunt was launched after he had allegedly stabbed actor Saif Ali Khan six times in his Bandra apartment in Mumbai.
The dramatic arrest
According to news reports, Shariful’s phone payment led the police to his mobile number. His mobile was then traced to Thane where he was apparently hiding in a dense mangrove cluster near a labour camp.
The police team had almost left the spot but when they decided to check once more, the found the accused lying on the ground. As an officer moved closer, he ran but was soon caught and overpowered.
The accused had allegedly confessed that he had earlier worked in a bar in Thane and knew the area well and decided to hide there after seeing his images on TV.
CCTV footage, turning point
A PTI report quoting officials said that CCTV footage had showed that Shariful had slept at a bus stop near Patwardhan Garden in Bandra West till 7am on January 16 after the incident. The official said after attacking the actor, the accused had a restful sleep at a bus stop, changed his clothes and reached Bandra railway station, from where he travelled to Dadar and later to Worli before heading to Thane city.
Shehzad had taken all precautions to evade the police but got caught because of his backpack, he said.
The official said the police had observed the backpack the accused was carrying in the CCTV footage they analysed, and this helped them in their probe.
Later, with the help of CCTV, drum data and online payment, the police traced the accused. Later, he had boarded a train and reached Worli (in central Mumbai).
At the Bandra railway station he had bought a mobile cover which he had paid through cash. But in Worli, the police found him chatting with a stall-in-charge near Century Mill.
The police found the man running the stall, Naveen Ekka, who told them that the suspect had made a UPI payment for paratha and the water bottle. That is how the police obtained Shariful's phone number, which turned out to be turning point in the investigation.
The police traced the mobile to a labour camp at Kasarvadavali in Thane, and found he had been hired at the camp a few months earlier. Twenty police teams had arrived at the location but the accused had switched off his mobile and fled the area. However, the police found him hiding among the mangroves near the camp.
A hammer, screwdriver, nylon rope and other materials were recovered from his bag. According to the police, the accused came to know he had attacked a Bollywood star only after seeing television news reportage and social media posts of the incident.
Police custody
A court has remanded the accused in five-day police custody after observing that the police's contention of an international conspiracy cannot be ruled out.
Shariful has been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 311 (robbery or dacoity with the intent to cause grievous hurt or death), 331(4) (house-breaking) and other offences as well as provisions of the Passport Act.
(With inputs from agencies)