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He left without legal documents, called after incident, says father of Saif Ali Khan stabbing accused
Shariful allegedly entered Saif’s home and attacked him with a knife in the early hours of January 16. He was eventually caught hiding in the mangroves in Thane on Sunday.
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Mohd Shariful Islam was brought to Bandra holiday court on January 19.Thirty-eight hours after he allegedly stabbed Saif Ali Khan at the actor’s Bandra residence, Mohd Shariful Islam called his father back home in Jhalokathi, Bangladesh. Shariful told his father he had transferred 10,000 Taka to the latter’s account. Shariful said he had Rs 3,000 in savings, enough to buy food for the next few days, his father, Md Ruhul Amin Fakir, recalled while speaking to The Indian Express over the phone.
Two days later, Ruhul, a clerk in a jute company, saw his son’s face splashed across news channels and social media.
“I am astonished…We do not have any financial problems, and committing such a crime is not something any of us could imagine,” Ruhul said.
The 54-year-old wondered how the family can help with legal aid when Shariful is “thousands of kilometres away”.
Shariful, 30, dropped out of school after Class 10 and entered India illegally in April last year through an agent in Bangladesh in search of better job prospects, his father said. In Rajabaria village, Shariful earned a living for the last six years ferrying people on his motorcycle before he decided to move to India.
Shariful Islam of Bangladesh, arrested for attacking Saif Ali Khan
“Due to increasing political instability here, he felt his future was bleak in this village, so he left without any legal documents with the help of a middleman,” his father said, claiming that his eventual aim was to earn enough and move out of India.
Shariful worked in a hotel in West Bengal for about a month before moving to Mumbai, his father claimed. In Mumbai, he worked and stayed on the premises of several restaurants.
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He was in regular touch with his family which include his parents, wife and two siblings.
Shariful allegedly entered Saif’s home and attacked him with a knife in the early hours of January 16. He was eventually caught hiding in the mangroves in Thane on Sunday. He has been booked under various sections including robbery with attempt to cause death.
Police in Mumbai said they are looking into whether he has a criminal record in India or Bangladesh.
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