Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Mumbai police confirm identity of accused with facial recognition test

The Mumbai police made a breakthrough in the Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan stabbing case and a forensic test has helped cops confirm the identity of the accused arrested in connection with the case. Police is likely to present this evidence in trial court to seek custody of Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir.

According to Mumbai police, a facial recognition test of the accused was conducted and it matched with the person in the CCTV visuals collected from the actor’s residence. Police confirmed that Fakir was the same person seen in the CCTV footage collected from the Satguru Sharan building in Bandra. Police said the facial recognition technology has played a key role in cracking the case.

The Bandra Court recently remanded the accused Fakir to 14-day judicial custody, denying police’s request for an extension for further custody of the accused. The court had granted police custody of the accused twice, during which police recreated the crime scene and recovered a part of the knife allegedly used for the crime.

Actor Khan was attacked in his residence during the early hours of January 16, allegedly by the accused amidst a failed burglary attempt. The accused, allegedly a Bangladeshi who entered the country illegally, stabbed the actor six times and fled from the place. Actor Khan underwent multiple surgeries at Lilavati Hospital as part of his treatment and was discharged on January 21. Police nabbed the accused from Thane, over 50 hours after the incident.

According to police, the accused entered India via West Bengal and managed to get a SIM card with the identity of a localite. A team of Mumbai police has travelled to Kolkata to probe the matter.