Saif Ali Khan Attack: Accused Faces Extended Custody As Police Gather Evidence

The man arrested in the Saif Ali Khan attack case, Mohammad Shariful Islam Asjad, identified as a Bangladeshi national, is still in custody as the police continue to struggle to prove that Shariful is the one who attacked Khan. 

Mumbai Police arrested the accused on January 19 based on CCTV footage from the actor's apartment. They have detained his Bangladeshi driving license, which proves he comes from the neighbouring country. The prosecution is also investigating how Shariful obtained fake Aadhaar and PAN cards under the name Vijay Das to reside in India.

The police, represented by public prosecutors KS Patil and Prasad Joshi, argued in court that Shariful Islam should undergo facial recognition to confirm he is the person seen in the CCTV footage from Saif Ali Khan's building. This came after Shariful's father claimed that the person in the footage wasn’t Shariful. 

Judicial Magistrate KC Rajput extended Shariful’s police custody until January 29, saying more investigation and questioning were needed. The police mentioned the need to compare Shariful’s footprints with those found at the crime scene, recover the shoes he wore during the attack, and find the missing part of the knife used. 

However, the father of accused argued that his son was arrested based on similarities and wrongfully accused. He further stated that he would pledge to Bangladesh’s foreign ministry and the Indian High Commission for his son’s release.

Meanwhile, Shariful’s lawyers, Dinesh Prajapati and Sandeep Sherkahne, opposed the police's plea, questioning the credibility of the incident. They claimed that police custody was unnecessary to recover the mentioned evidence and requested Shariful be remanded to judicial custody.

While Shariful was arrested based on CCTV footage, police are working to gather stronger evidence to solidify their case.