Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Case: Bandra Court Sends Accused Shariful Islam To 14 Days Of Judicial Custody, Rejects Police Demand For 2-Day Extension

Mumbai: In the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case, the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Bandra sent the accused, Shariful Islam, 30, to judicial custody for 14 days. The police had sought a two-day extension of custody. However, the court advised them to refer to the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) law.

It also stated that if anything new transpired during further investigation, police custody could be requested again as per the new BNS provisions. The court ruled that, in the current situation, extending the accused’s police custody was not justified.

On Wednesday, the Bandra police produced the accused before Judge Komalsing Rajput, who subsequently remanded him to judicial custody.

Investigating officer Ajay Lingurkar informed the court that significant progress had been made in the investigation. However, a police team was currently in Kolkata for further inquiries. He explained that they needed to investigate how the accused entered India from Bangladesh and whether he had any associates or relatives living in India.

This required further investigation. He emphasized that a team of Mumbai Police was in Kolkata to determine the accused’s mode of entry into India and how he had been sending money to his family in Bangladesh. Based on this, he sought at least two more days of police custody.

The investigating officer further informed the court that they had recovered the accused’s shoes and had sent his facial recognition sample for forensic analysis, with the report still awaited. He described the accused as highly skilled, stating that he had meticulously planned the crime, conducted reconnaissance of the victim’s house, and then executed the attack.

The court ruled that further police custody was not justified since the investigation and evidence collection were nearly complete and the accused had already been in police custody for 10 days.

The court also asked Rajendra Marathe, Senior Police Inspector of Bandra Police Station, and stated that if any new developments arose, the investigating officer could request police custody within the permissible period. However, at this stage, further police custody was deemed unnecessary.

Advocate Sandeep Sherkhane represented the accused, while Advocate Shanti Komati appeared as the public prosecutor. The court promptly announced its decision after hearing the police’s request for custody.

On January 16, the accused, Shariful Islam, allegedly trespassed into Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s residence in Bandra West and allegedly launched a murderous attack on the actor. The police arrested him on January 19 in Thane. During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused was a Bangladeshi national.

The IO told the court that the police needed to investigate who helped the accused enter India from Bangladesh and how he carried out financial transactions to Bangladesh. The accused was not cooperating and had not provided his bank details yet.

The police also needed to investigate who helped him create fake Indian documents under the name Vijay Das, as he avoided answering questions about it. The victim's social status and the accused’s Bangladeshi nationality, the crime is both sensitive and serious. Therefore, a thorough investigation is required. The police also need to collect more CCTV footage from the crime scene and other locations.