I want justice as Mumbai cops have ruined my life: Man detained, released in Saif attack case
Mumbai, Jan 26 (PTI): A man who was detained in Durg in Chhattisgarh as a suspect in the January 16 Saif Ali Khan attack case said on Sunday that his life is in complete disarray following police action, leaving him without a job, a snub from his prospective bride and family facing ignominy.
Akash Kanojia (31), a driver, was detained from Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Kolkata Shalimar Jnaneshwari Express at Durg station by the Railway Protection Force on January 18 after a tip off from Mumbai police.
On the morning of January 19, Mumbai police arrested Bangladeshi national Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir alias Vijay Das from neighbouring Thane, after which the Durg RPF allowed Kanojia to go leave.
Saif Ali Khan (54) was stabbed repeatedly by an intruder during a robbery attempt at his 12th floor residence in Satguru Sharan in Mumbai's Bandra area in the early hours of January 16. He underwent surgery and was later discharged.
"My family was left shocked and in tears after media started showing my pictures and claimed I was the main suspect in the case. One mistake of the Mumbai police ruined my life. They failed to notice I had a moustache and the person in the CCTV grab from the actor's building did not," Kanojia told PTI.
"After the incident, I had got a call from police who asked me where I was. The call was disconnected after I told them I was at home. I was travelling to meet my prospective bride when I was detained at Durg and then taken to Raipur. The Mumbai police team that reached there assaulted me as well," he claimed.
Kanojia said after being released, his mother asked him to come home, but his life started unravelling from there on.
"When I called my employer, he asked me not to report to work. He refused to listen to my explanation. My grandmother then told me the family of my prospective bride had refused to go ahead with marriage talks following my detention," he said.
Kanojia claimed his brother died after prolonged medical treatment, which had forced his family to sell their Virar home and shift to a chawl in Cuffe Parade.
"I have two cases against my name in Cuffe Parade and one at Gurgaon. But it doesn't mean I can be pulled up as a suspect in such a manner and then be left in the lurch. I plan to stand outside Saif Ai Khan's building and seek a job as I have lost everything because of what happened to him," Kanojia said.
Kanojia said it was divine intervention that Shariful was caught within hours of him being detained at Durg railway station.
"Or else, who knows, I may have been shown as the accused in the case. I now want justice," he said irately.
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Belur: Two women working in coffee plantation sustain severe injuries in wild elephant attack
Hassan: Two women working in a coffee plantation in Belur taluk were grievously injured in a wild elephant attack while on the way to work on Monday morning. The women are being treated at the Hassan District Hospital.
The injured women, Hema (38) and Geetha (40), were employed at the Bikkodu Estate and were going to work when they were attacked. The elephant reportedly lifted one of the women with its trunk before dashing her aside and also trampled the workers.
As a result, the women sustained severe injuries, Geetha being injured on her stomach and head and Hema on her face and right hand. The workers were taken immediately to the Belur government hospital and later shifted to the Hassan District Hospital.
The forest officers have visited the hospital and inquired about the health condition of Hema and Geetha. The farmers and coffee plantation owners in Bikkodu and nearby areas have again expressed worry about the problem of wild elephant attack in the area. They have also urged the Forest Department to take necessary steps in the matter for the safety of the residents.
