Saif Ali Khan attack case: Mumbai police likely to recreate crime scene with accused

Pic/PTI

An official said that the Mumbai police will likely recreate the crime scene at the Bandra home of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who was repeatedly stabbed by an intruder, reported news agency PTI.

The accused in the high-profile case, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi man, was arrested on Sunday morning from neighbouring Thane city.

A court in Mumbai remanded the accused, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, in police custody for five days.

According to the official, police will likely take Shehzad to Khan's home in 'Satguru Sharan' building during these five days to recreate the crime scene as part of their investigation, reported PTI.

Shehzad sneaked into the Bollywood star's apartment in the early hours of January 16 with the intention of theft, police had said, reported PTI.

Preliminary investigation suggests that he climbed the stairs to the seventh-eighth floor of the building where Khan and his actor wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, live with their children and domestic staff, reported PTI.

"He entered the duct area, climbed to the 12th floor using a pipe and entered the actor's flat through a bathroom window. He then came out from the bathroom, where the actor's staff spotted him, leading to the chain of events that culminated into the knife attack," an official had said earlier, reported PTI.

The 54-year-old actor was stabbed multiple times in the attack, after which he underwent a five-hour surgery at nearby Lilavati Hospital.

Two lawyers compete to represent accused, magistrate plays the referee

The seriousness of the courtroom in Bandra, where a Bangladeshi man arrested for allegedly attacking actor Saif Ali Khan was presented on Sunday, momentarily dissipated when two lawyers jostled to represent him.

The unusual drama concerning the high-profile case prompted the magistrate before whom the 30-year-old man had been brought for remand proceedings to act as referee and suggest to the lawyers to appear as a team.

The court asked him if he had any complaints against the police to which Shehzad replied in the negative. He was then taken to a box meant for accused persons in the back end of the courtroom.

A lawyer then came forward claiming to be appearing for the accused.

However, the scene turned dramatic just before he could take the signature of the accused on the 'vakalatamana' (legal document authorising a lawyer to appear in a case).

Another lawyer jostled his way to the accused box and took Shehzad's signature on his vakalatamana, triggering moments of confusion about who would appear for the alleged attacker.

To defuse the situation, the magistrate suggested that both the competing lawyers represent Shehzad. "You both can appear," the magistrate said, bringing back the focus on the remand proceedings. The duo agreed.

(With inputs from PTI)