Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Case: How A UPI Transaction Helped Mumbai Police In Arresting Bangladeshi National Accused

While 30-year-old Mohammad Shariful Islam has been arrested for assault on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, it is believed that a UPI transaction made via Google Pay played a key role in his arrest by Mumbai Police.

The arrest on late Saturday (18 January) night came almost 70 hours after the stabbing attack. The UPI payment for a paratha and a bottle of water at a stall close to Century Mill in Worli became the key lead.

According to sources involved in the investigation, as reported by The Indian Express, the payment made through the phone allowed the police to locate the suspect's mobile number, which was subsequently traced to Thane.

Further investigation in Thane led them to a thick mangrove cluster near a labor camp, according to the sources. Promptly, approximately 100 police officers initiated a search in the identified location.

“After searching there, the police team had almost left the spot when they decided to check once more. As they looked again, the light from one of the torches indicated someone sleeping on the ground," the sources told IE.

"As an officer moved closer, the person got up and started running. He was soon caught and overpowered," the source said adding that was transported from Khar Police Station to Bandra Court on Sunday,

The prime suspect in the assault case is Mohammad Shariful Islam Shahzad, a Bangladesh national. The suspect informed that he was frightened after seeing his pictures broadcast on TV and YouTube.

In the preliminary interrogation, he told police that he escaped to Thane because he was familiar with the area due to his previous employment at a bar there.

How the investigation unflolded

However, he paid for this item in cash. Following this, he proceeded to Kabutarkhana and then on to Worli, according to IE sources.

Upon reviewing surveillance videos from the Worli area, police identified the suspect lingering around a stall close to Century Mill. Sources revealed that the individual was seen conversing twice with the stall owner in the footage.

The Crime Branch promptly dispatched teams who discovered that the stall operator, Naveen Ekka, resided near Koliwada. Suspecting that Ekka might be an acquaintance of the accused, seven police teams conducted a search in the Worli-Koliwada area on Saturday, presenting the accused's photos to local vendors for identification, according to sources.

Investigators revealed that the police were able to locate Ekka's residence at the Jaihind Mitra Mandal in Janata Colony, where he was living with several other workers. Upon their arrival, however, they found the house locked.

In order to gain more information, they reached out to the landlord, Rajnarajayan Prajapati. The police obtained Ekka’s mobile number from Prajapati’s son, Vinod, who they also showed a photo of the suspect. Despite confirming that Ekka was indeed a tenant, Vinod was unable to positively identify the suspect, sources reported.

Before long, Ekka was located and informed the police that the suspect had used UPI to pay for paratha and a water bottle. Vinod relayed to The Indian Express that the police were able to obtain the accused's mobile number through them, as the payment had been made using G Pay.

The discovery of the mobile number was a critical lead that directed the police to a labor camp in Kasarvadavali, Thane, where a contractor named Amit Pandey had employed the suspect a few months prior.

Sources revealed that approximately 20 teams descended on the location, commencing a search for the suspect. However, the suspect had already escaped from the location and switched off his mobile phone around 10 pm on Saturday.

The search broadened to encompass the mangroves close to the camp at that point, concluding when a team member under the leadership of DCP Navnath Dhawale illuminated the area with a torch light.