Saif Ali Khan stabbing: Lawyer denies police claim, says accused staying in Mumbai for 7 years

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 19 (ANI): The lawyer of the accused arrested in connection with the stabbing attack on actor Saif Ali Khan has denied the claims made by police regarding the accused being a Bangladeshi national, and claimed that he has been staying in Mumbai for the last seven years.
This comes after the accused Mohd Shariful Islam Shehzad was sent to five-day police custody by Bandra Holiday Court on Sunday. His advocate Sandeep Shekhane denied the police claims and alleged that "no proper investigation" has been done till now.
"A police custody for 5 days has been granted. The court has asked the police to submit a report within 5 days. The police have no proof that he is a Bangladeshi. They said that he came here 6 months ago, it is a wrong statement. He has been living here for more than 7 years. His family is in Mumbai... This is a clear-cut violation of 43A. No proper investigation has been done," Shekhane told reporters.
Another advocate Dinesh Prajapati, representing the accused, said the grounds given by the police for seeking his police custody are "not sufficient".
"The police demanded police custody and the grounds given by the police for the police custody are not sufficient...We have given in his (accused) defence that nothing has been recovered from him (Accused Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad)...They (Police) have not produced any document proving that he is a Bangladeshi national...The Court has granted his 5-day police custody," Prajapati told ANI.
The accused, identified as Mohd Shariful Islam Shehzad, allegedly entered the Bandra residence of actor Saif Ali Khan with the intent to commit theft.
As per the police statement, various investigation teams were formed to investigate the crime, and a case has been registered under sections 311, 312, 331(4), 331(6), and 331(7) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
The accused was about to flee to his native village when he was detained at Hiranandani Estate in Thane. It was revealed that the accused is a native of the Jhalokati district in Bangladesh, according to the police.
The case was reported by Aleyamma Philip, a 56-year-old staff nurse. The incident occurred around 2:00 AM on January 16, during which Saif Ali Khan was attacked and sustained serious injuries, including stab wounds to his thoracic spine.
Meanwhile, as per the hospital administration, Saif Ali Khan is recovering well and has been moved from the ICU to a normal room. The surgery, which involved removing a 2.5-inch-long blade, was successful.
While the actor is now "out of danger," medical staff are closely monitoring his condition. (ANI)