Saif Ali Khan: Man arrested in Bollywood actor stabbing case

Police in the Indian city of Mumbai have arrested a man in connection with a knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan last week.

Khan, one of India’s biggest stars, was stabbed by an intruder at his home, in an attack that shocked the country. He is recovering after surgery.

On Sunday, police said they had arrested the key suspect, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, adding that he was a citizen of Bangladesh who was staying in India illegally.

Mr Shehzad’s lawyer has denied the allegations and says he is not from Bangladesh.

Police say they arrested Mr Shehzad from Thane, a district in the outskirts of Mumbai.

Preliminary evidence suggests that he came to the city about six months ago and had been working at a housekeeping agency using a fake name and ID, Dixit Gedam, a deputy commissioner of Mumbai police, told a press conference.

Police suspect that Mr Shehzad allegedly broke into Khan’s home with the intention of robbing him, Mr Gedam said.

On Sunday, a court in Mumbai sent Mr Shehzad to five-day police custody.

His lawyer, Sandeep Shikhane, told reporters that his client was being made a “scapegoat”.

“There is no documentary evidence to suggest he is a Bangladeshi citizen,” he said.

The attack on Khan has made national headlines and also raised questions about safety and security in Mumbai, one of India’s most populated cities and its financial capital.

Khan was stabbed six times and suffered several injuries, including one on the back of his neck, in the attack at his home in an upscale neighbourhood.

A nurse, Eliyama Philip, who works in Khan’s home, told the police last week that she first noticed the shadow of a man near the bathroom door late at night while she was in the child’s room with the nanny.

Ms Philip said a man appeared holding a wooden object in one hand and a long blade in another and warned the two against making any noise. He demanded 10m rupees ($115,477; £94,511), she said.

A scuffle broke out, during which Ms Philip was injured. She also said that hearing the commotion, Khan and his wife rushed to the room and that the attacker struck the actor with a blade before fleeing.

On Friday, investigators reportedly detained – and later released – at least five other people for questioning in connection with the investigation.

Many of the men were taken into custody because they resembled the attacker, who was captured on CCTV camera while he was exiting the building.

Additional reporting by Alpesh Karkare for BBC Marathi