Mumbai: In an important breakthrough in the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case, a facial recognition test has confirmed that the face of the Bangladeshi man arrested in the case matched with the person seen in the CCTV footage from the actor’s building.The Mumbai Police had conducted a facial recognition test after rumours spread that the accused’s appearance differed from the one of the intruder captured in CCTV. The Mumbai police on Friday said the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report validated that Mohammad Shariful Islam, who had entered the actor’s Bandra residence with the intent to rob on January 16, was the same individual captured on security cameras installed at the high-rise building where Khan lived. Some concerns were earlier raised about the attacker’s identity as the footage available in the media did not appear to be similar to the arrested man’s photograph. The police conducted facial recognition tests on the CCTV footage and the clothes worn by the accused, the knife used in the attack, a ‘gamcha’ (towel) and a bag were all sent for forensic chemical analysis. Last week, the fingerprint analysis did not match Islam’s prints to those found at Khan’s residence. Mumbai Police had sent 19 sets of fingerprints from the crime scene to the CID. According to sources, the CID’s fingerprint bureau reported a negative match with Islam. Shariful allegedly broke into the Bollywood star’s 12th-floor apartment in the early hours of January 16 and stabbed him six times before fleeing the scene. He was arrested from neighbouring Thane city three days later. A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded the accused to 14-day judicial custody. The Bandra magistrate’s court ruled that no fresh grounds had been presented to justify further police custody and sent Islam to judicial remand. However, citing provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the court noted that if new developments arise, police could request custody again within the permissible period. Despite the court’s denial of extended custody, Mumbai Police maintain they have ‘ample and strong evidence’ against Islam. Following the knife attack, Khan was admitted to the nearby Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent two surgeries. He was discharged from the private hospital on January 21.
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