Internet unconvinced that arrested Bangladeshi is real attacker in Saif Ali Khan case

Bangladeshi national Shariful Islam Shahzad has been arrested for allegedly attacking Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.

The friend and former co-worker of the accused, Rohmat Khan, described him as a kind-hearted man. Speaking with The Indian Express, Khan asserted that he “never imagined he could do such a big crime.”

“I have been following the news of the attack on Saif Ali Khan and kept wondering who would intrude upon such a high-profile person and launch an attack. Jitna main jaanta hoon, mujhe laga nahi wou itna barha kuch kar sakta hai (As far as I know, I never thought he could commit such a big crime),” the friend said.

According to the police, Shariful Islam Shahzad, originally from Rajabariya village in Jhalokathi district, Bangladesh, used the fake name Vijay Das to conceal his true identity. His real full name is Shariful Islam Sajjad Mohammed Rohilla Amin Fakeer.

The Bandra police informed Shahzad’s close friend, Khan, about his arrest since his family members were not in the city. Khan revealed, “He (Das) got the job through a contractor and worked with the Thane branch of Hotel Blabber All Day in the housekeeping section, while I was in the cafeteria section. He seemed to be a kind-hearted man. He never had any argument or fight with anyone and was good at his work.”

He also mentioned that Shahzad never opened up about his past, family, or his connection to Bangladesh.

On Twitter (X), some users expressed scepticism.

A user wrote, "He doesn't look like the guy who escaped through the staircase! Mumbai police are doing this on behalf of Modi to pull Bangladesh down."

Another said, "At first, they said the accused was Shahid. Then others claimed it was Vijay Das. Now they are saying it's MD Shariful Islam Shahzad (possibly Bangladeshi). It seems the religion card is being played more than focusing on catching the thief. How is this even possible?" 

Another user added, "This guy doesn't look remotely like the person going down the stairs after the assault."

Earlier, according to Indian media reports, Bangladeshi national Muhammad Shariful Islam Shahzad, accused of attacking Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, allegedly confessed to the crime. Police sources claim the 30-year-old admitted, saying, "Yes, I did this attack."

Police revealed that progress was made in the case after more than 70 hours of investigation into the attack on Khan. Shahzad was arrested approximately 35 kilometres from the actor’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai, in a forest area labour camp after a seven-hour operation based on a tip-off from a labour contractor.

According to a senior police officer, the accused confessed to the crime during interrogation. However, Shahzad's lawyer strongly refuted the allegations, asserting, "Nothing has been recovered from my client; he is being framed."

The lawyer argued in court that the allegations were baseless and that Shahzad was being made a scapegoat in this high-profile case because a celebrity was involved. "This case is the centre of attention because a famous individual has been targeted."

Later, speaking to the media, the lawyer reiterated that nothing incriminating was found on Shahzad and emphasised his client's innocence.

As per Indian media reports, Shariful Islam Shahzad has been remanded in the custody of Mumbai Police for five days as investigations continue.