MUMBAI (Reuters) – A man believed to be a Bangladeshi citizen was arrested in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Sunday and is considered the prime suspect in the stabbing of Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, police said.
Thursday’s attack on Khan, one of India’s most bankable stars, shocked the country’s film industry and Mumbai residents, with many calling for better policing and security. He was out of danger, the doctors said, and left the hospital.
“The primary evidence suggests that the accused is a Bangladeshi citizen and after entering India illegally he changed his name,” Dixit Gedam, a deputy commissioner of police, told a press conference.
The suspect, arrested on the outskirts of Mumbai, uses the name Vijay Das but is believed to be Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad and works for a housekeeping agency after arriving in the city five or six months ago, said Gedam.
The police will seek the custody of the suspect for further investigation, he added.
Khan, 54, was stabbed six times by an intruder during an attempted burglary at his home. He underwent surgery after sustaining stab wounds on his spine, neck and hands, according to doctors.
Police in Mumbai detained a first suspect in the attack on Friday, while police in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh detained a second person on Saturday.