Mumbai: In a significant development in the Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan attack case, the two domestic helpers who are the eyewitnesses to the attack on Khan at his Bandra residence on January 16 identified the arrested Bangladeshi national as the attacker during an Identification Parade (IP) held at the Arthur Road jail where the accused is languishing, sources in the Mumbai police said here on Thursday.
Domestic helpers who were witnesses to the incident also sustained injuries during the failed robbery attempt.
Police sources said that domestic helper Elliamma Philip, one of the nannies of Khan's son, along with another nanny, on Wednesday identified the arrested accused, Mohamed Shariful Islam Fakir (30), as the intruder who attacked the actor.
According to sources, the parade was conducted in the presence of a tehsildar having magisterial power and five independent panchas. In their presence, the witnesses identified the accused, who was made to stand in a row along with nine other persons with similar looks.
A proper procedure of conducting IP was followed as per the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, an officer involved in the investigation told UNI.
Witness Philip was the first in the actor’s household to spot the intruder in the washroom on January 16.
As per the FIR, the attacker, who was carrying a knife and a stick, during an argument with Philip demanded Rs one crore. Later, he had a scuffle with Philip. Seeing this, the other domestic helper screamed for help, following which the actor, who was in the 12th-floor room of their duplex home, came down and confronted the robber.
During a brief confrontation, the robber attacked the actor six times. Later, others in the house managed to lock the robber inside the room and went to the 12th floor. But as the door couldn’t be locked, the robber later managed to flee.
Earlier, a face recognition technology has confirmed a match with the accused and the alleged intruder who was seen entering the actor's residence using the staircase. Mumbai police had confirmed that the facial recognition test results accurately matched those of the suspect.
A criminal lawyer, Mohamed Baharudin, said that IP is a vital piece of evidence against the accused, and it can be a useful method within an investigation.
He also said that IP is often accepted as evidence or as confirmation within a court of law.
