Attack on Bollywood’s Saif Ali Khan: Reports say suspect’s fingerprints don’t match those at scene
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Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan suffered stab wounds to his spine, neck and hands after a man broke into his house on Jan 16.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MUMBAI – The Mumbai police arrested a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national on Jan 19 for allegedly breaking into popular Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s residence
But new reports suggest that fingerprints collected from Khan’s house do not match those of the suspect.
The suspect, Shariful Islam Shehzad, allegedly stabbed Khan, 54, during a burglary attempt at his home in the early hours of Jan 16.
The attack shocked India’s film industry and Mumbai residents. It also raised fears over the lack of security in India’s financial capital and has featured prominently in ongoing election campaigning in Delhi.
According to Indian media company NDTV, Mumbai police sent the fingerprints found at Khan’s home to the fingerprint bureau of the state Criminal Investigation Department.
The system-generated report established that the prints do not match the 30-year-old suspect’s.
A police officer said: “More samples have been sent for further testing, and we are still awaiting the final fingerprint report. A preliminary report had shown a match with the arrested accused.”
Social media users have also pointed out that the suspect’s face does not resemble the man caught leaving the actor’s house on surveillance cameras.
Police officer Dikshit Gedam said people on social media should not play online detectives.
“The media has only two pieces of footage of the accused, which had been released earlier. We have several videos of him from different angles, including some in high resolution, which clearly establish the identity of the accused,” he said.
Khan underwent surgery after suffering stab wounds to his spine, neck and hands, doctors said. The actor was discharged from hospital on Jan 21.
THE STATESMAN/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
