Shariful Islam Shehzad, arrested after a 72-hour manhunt, faces fresh scrutiny after CID’s fingerprint analysis shows no match with evidence from the crime scene. Social media is buzzing with concerns over discrepancies between the suspect seen in CCTV footage and the accused, putting pressure on the Mumbai Police to review their findings.
BY PC Bureau
In a significant setback for the Mumbai Police, the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has reported negative results on the fingerprint samples of Shariful Islam Shehzad, the Bangladeshi national arrested for allegedly attacking Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan during a failed theft attempt at his residence on January 16. Shehzad was captured after an intensive 72-hour manhunt, which involved nearly 40 teams from the Mumbai Police and the Crime Branch. However, the 19 fingerprint samples collected from the crime scene do not match those of the accused, casting serious doubts over the arrest and raising questions about the accuracy of the police investigation.
The incident took place on the evening of January 16, when Saif Ali Khan, his wife Kareena Kapoor, and their children were at home. The suspect reportedly tried to break into their residence with the intent to rob the family, but the attempt was thwarted when the actor’s security team intervened. The intruder allegedly attacked Khan during the scuffle, but he managed to escape the scene before the police arrived. CCTV footage from the building, showing a man exiting the premises in a hurried manner, was quickly shared with the police.
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Shariful Islam Shehzad was arrested three days later, following a massive manhunt led by a joint task force from the Mumbai Police and the Crime Branch. The police eventually tracked him down to Thane, where he was apprehended by a team from the East Region of Mumbai Police under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Navnath Dhavale of Zone 6. However, according to sources, the Zone 6 team had limited information about the case, as it was primarily being handled by the Zone 9 team, which was responsible for investigating the incident. The Zone 6 team was deployed to Thane because the location was closer to where the suspect was believed to be hiding based on his suspected cell phone activity.
The Mumbai Police faced a setback as CID reports reveal that Shariful Islam Shehzad’s fingerprints do not match those from the crime scene in the alleged attack on Saif Ali Khan. Shariful was arrested after a 72-hour manhunt involving 40 police teams.
Written by: @journofaizan… pic.twitter.com/QrdRcHrBRq
— Mid Day (@mid_day) January 26, 2025
After his arrest, Shehzad was handed over to Bandra Police under Zone 9 for further investigation. The following morning, DCP Dixit Gedam of Zone 9 confirmed to the media that the arrested man was indeed a Bangladeshi national and had been involved in the attack on Saif Ali Khan. This was widely reported in the media, and the case seemed to be progressing swiftly.
However, fresh developments have cast doubt on the police’s version of events. According to sources, all ten of Shariful’s fingerprints were sent to the CID’s fingerprint bureau for comparison with the 19 prints recovered from the crime scene. The CID has now confirmed through a system-generated report that none of the fingerprints from the crime scene match those of the accused. The report was sent to the CID Superintendent in Pune on Friday, leading to further scrutiny of the investigation.
🚨Association of Medical Consultants Mumbai writes to IRDAI
Why was preferential treatment given to Saif Ali Khan?
"Apparently the Insurance company sanctioned 25 lakhs within a few hours to Lilavati hospital for the treatment of Saif Ali Khan.
The normal process is to ask… pic.twitter.com/1QyPrTD8gM
— Nikhil Jha (@NIKHILLJHA) January 25, 2025
This revelation has sparked widespread speculation on social media, with users pointing out discrepancies between the suspect seen in the blurry CCTV footage and the man arrested. However, despite the growing public concern, the police have yet to address these discrepancies or comment on the fingerprint findings. The poor quality of the CCTV footage showing the suspect exiting the building has also been criticized, with many questioning the reliability of the facial recognition report generated by Western Railway, which was used to help identify the suspect. The report produced an image of the suspect, but it is now being contested as it does not match the appearance of the individual seen inside the building.
Mid-day reached out to senior officials at the CID and Mumbai Police for clarification regarding the fingerprint report and other developments, but no response was received by the time of publication. Meanwhile, the Bandra Police, which produced the accused in court on Friday and secured an extension of his custody, has remained silent on the fingerprint discrepancies and the growing doubts about the investigation’s integrity. The case now faces increasing pressure, with both the public and media calling for a transparent reassessment of the evidence and the arrest process.