Durg: Akash Kailash Kanojia, a suspect in the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who was detained by Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh on Saturday was released by the Mumbai Crime Branch after the attacker was arrested from Thane.
Pradeep Funde, a Mumbai Crime Branch official who had reached Durg to take Akash Kailash Kanojia to Mumbai said, "The suspect detained by the RPF from Durg railway station will be released after completing the formalities and will not be taken to Mumbai."
Earlier, the Mumbai Crime Branch had planned to take the suspect to Mumbai for further questioning.
Mumbai Police were alerted about the suspect's whereabouts after CCTV footage showed a person descending the stairs of Saif Ali Khan's Bandra residence, which led authorities to identify the suspect. A photo of the individual was widely circulated, which helped the police to track him down.
Based on the footage, the suspect was seen boarding the Mumbai-Howrah Gyaneshwari Express. Authorities were able to track his location through his mobile phone.
RPF officials in Durg received information from Mumbai Police that the suspect was travelling on the train. They were able to pinpoint his location on the train. However, initial attempts to locate the suspect at the Rajnandgaon station were unsuccessful. Following this, two teams were positioned at Durg station to detain him.
Sanjeev Sinha, RPF Durg In-charge, confirmed that the suspect was detained from the front general compartment of the Gyaneshwai Express. He said, "After receiving the photo from Mumbai Police, we were able to identify and detain the suspect, who was travelling without a ticket. He was travelling in the general bogie of the train and was apprehended at Durg station."
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai also confirmed the arrest, stating, "The suspect in the knife attack on Saif Ali Khan has been caught by RPF in Durg."
The attack occurred on January 16 when an intruder, believed to be attempting a robbery, attacked Saif Ali Khan at his residence in Bandra. The actor was stabbed multiple times but is currently recovering from his injuries and has been shifted out of the ICU.
Read more
- Saif Ali Khan Stabbing: Suspect Detained By RPF At Chhattisgarh's Durg
- Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Case: Attacker Arrested, Police Suspect He's Bangladeshi Who Entered India Illegally
