Mumbai, 19 January 2025: Tension briefly gave way to unexpected drama in a Bandra courtroom on Sunday when two lawyers vied to represent Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, the Bangladeshi man accused of stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
Shehzad, 30, was presented before the metropolitan magistrate for remand proceedings amid heightened security after his arrest in Thane earlier in the day. Mumbai police said Shehzad allegedly broke into Khan’s 12th-floor apartment in the ‘Satguru Sharan’ building, Bandra, around 2:30 a.m. on January 16, with the intent to steal, and stabbed the 54-year-old actor multiple times during the attack.
The incident had left Khan requiring emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital, where doctors said he is recovering well and may soon be discharged.
At Sunday’s court session, the magistrate asked Shehzad if he had any complaints against the police. When he answered no, the proceedings turned chaotic. As one lawyer moved to have Shehzad sign a vakalatnama authorizing legal representation, a second lawyer stepped forward, securing the accused’s signature on his own document.
The impromptu contest disrupted the hearing until the magistrate intervened, advising both lawyers to represent Shehzad jointly. “You both can appear,” the magistrate remarked, refocusing attention on the matter at hand. The lawyers agreed, allowing the session to proceed.
Shehzad was remanded in police custody for five days. Authorities revealed that before identifying and arresting him, multiple individuals resembling the suspect were detained based on CCTV footage from Khan’s apartment complex.
Police stated Shehzad is a native of Jhalokathi district in Bangladesh’s Barisal division. He had been in Mumbai for the past five months, doing petty jobs, including housekeeping work.
Khan remains one of Bollywood’s leading actors, and the attack has sparked widespread concern within the industry and among his fans.
Before arresting the accused, police had rounded up several individuals who resembled him based on the footage of a CCTV camera from the actor’s building.
Saif Ali Khan, one of Bollywood’s leading actors, was repeatedly stabbed with a knife by an intruder inside his 12th-floor apartment in ‘Satguru Sharan’ building in upscale Bandra in the early hours of January 16.
The 54-year-old actor underwent an emergency surgery at the Lilavati Hospital where he was rushed following the incident that took place around 2.30 am. He is recovering and may be discharged soon, doctors have said.
Earlier in the day, police said Shehzad hails from Jhalokathi, also called Jhalakathi, district in southern Bangladesh’s Barisal division, adding that he was in Mumbai for the past five months, during which he did petty jobs, including at a housekeeping agency.