Saif stabbing case: Accused slept soundly, changed clothes after attack, say police
Mumbai (PTI): The 30-year-old man arrested for stabbing and injuring actor Saif Ali Khan slept soundly after the attack and changed his clothes before heading to Worli, a police official said on Monday.
The Mumbai police on Sunday arrested the accused, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, a Bangladeshi national, in neighbouring Thane city.
According to the police, the accused had entered the Bollywood star's home in the Satguru Sharan building in upscale Bandra in the early hours of January 16 with the intention of theft.
Khan (54) was stabbed multiple times in the attack, after which he underwent a five-hour surgery at nearby Lilavati Hospital.
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 gave a direction to the probe.
Later, with the help of CCTV, drum data and online payment, the police trace the accused.
With the help of the image of the accused's face captured on CCTV, the police analysed persons with criminal records who looked like him and detained a few suspects. But when nothing came out of this, they checked the CCTV footage from the Bandra area again, the official said.
The accused was seen in a CCTV footage walking towards the Bandra railway station around 7 am, and he had changed his clothes, he said.
Shehzad, who had worked in a pub in Worli in the past, stayed on the premises on the night of January 16 and went unnoticed. The next day, he approached a labour contractor in the area for work and left for Thane.
The official said the labour contractor provided Shehzad's mobile number to the police, and it was found that he had done some online transactions while on the run.
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.
Shehzad 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.
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TikTok restores service in the U.S. after Trump pledges to pause federal ban
TikTok resumed operations for its U.S. users on Sunday afternoon following assurances from President-elect Donald Trump to temporarily halt a federal ban on the app after his inauguration on January 20.
The app had faced a brief shutdown earlier in the day over “national security concerns,” with a federal order mandating its China-based parent company, Bytedance, to sever ties with its U.S. operations. However, the order allows a 90-day extension if a viable sale is in progress.
Trump, set to assume office in January, expressed a willingness to grant TikTok more time to comply with federal requirements. He suggested a joint venture in which the U.S. holds a 50% ownership stake, asserting that the app’s valuation could soar to "hundreds of billions or even trillions" of dollars.
“By doing this, we save TikTok and keep it in good hands,” Trump stated on Truth Social, his social media platform.
During his previous presidency, Trump had supported a ban on TikTok, citing security risks. His executive orders targeting Bytedance and WeChat were subsequently blocked by courts. However, Trump’s position on the app shifted during his recent campaign, as TikTok significantly boosted his popularity among younger voters.
Despite the announcement, the app remained unavailable on Google Play and Apple app stores. Uncertainty lingered as the U.S. Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the ban on Friday, enforcing it the day before Trump’s return to office
TikTok issued a statement confirming it was restoring service, thanking Trump for “necessary clarity and assurance” to its service providers. The app’s message to users declared, “TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
