More than 40 hours after actor Saif Ali Khan was shot in a brutal attack at his Bandra (West) home, the suspect is still at large from the Mumbai Police. Police believe he could be a “hardened criminal” as he changed his attire to mislead investigators after fleeing the scene. A massive operation was launched on Friday to search for the suspect, with at least two dozen teams from the local police, crime department and crime information unit working to make the breakthrough. In the morning, the Bandra police detained a “suspect” and brought him for questioning. But five hours later, he was let off as police found he had no connection with the case. Police sources said the accused, who was caught on CCTV installed in Saif’s building, was picked up to nab him and has a history of committing crimes several times earlier. Police also questioned a carpenter who worked in Saif’s building recently and some other labourers working there. The carpenter’s family said he used to work at the family’s house, but had nothing to do with the attack.
This investigation did not yield any results so far, so the police were back to square one. Then in the evening, however, police sources said they found out that the suspect was captured in another CCTV, which showed him changing his dress after leaving the actor’s building.
The breakthrough came when the police were checking CCTVs in Bandra, and in one camera the suspect was seen wearing a half-sleeved light blue shirt near the Fortune intersection. In the CCTV film from before the fire exit of the Satguru Sharan building, the accused was seen wearing a half-sleeved dark T-shirt.
“The accused’s change of dress suggests that he looks like a criminal. The chase has been intensified, and CCTVs of nearby railway stations are being examined,” an officer said.
Moreover, police sources said the suspect took care to cover his face with a red scarf and cap to avoid cameras installed in the building.
An officer said they have shared the suspect’s photograph with almost all the people and retired officials involved in the operation that has a crowd of over 40,000 people, but no one has identified him yet.
The photos have also been shared with some taxi and auto unions.
