Saif Ali Khan attack case: Accused detained in Durg released, man says "I want justice as Mumbai cops have ruined my life..."

Kanojia expressed his relief, attributing it to divine intervention that Shariful was apprehended just hours after his own detention at Durg railway station.

A man detained in Durg, Chhattisgarh, as a suspect in the January 16 Saif Ali Khan attack case, expressed on Sunday that his life has been completely upended following the police action. He stated that he has lost his job, faced rejection from his prospective bride, and his family is now dealing with public humiliation.

Akash Kanojia, a 31-year-old driver, was detained by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Durg station on January 18 while traveling on the Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Kolkata Shalimar Jnaneshwari Express, following a tip-off from Mumbai police. However, the next day, on January 19, Mumbai police arrested Bangladeshi national Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, also known as Vijay Das, in Thane. After his arrest, the Durg RPF released Kanojia.

Speaking to PTI, Kanojia said, "My family was left shocked and in tears after media started showing my pictures and claimed I was the main suspect in the case. One mistake of the Mumbai police ruined my life. They failed to notice I had a moustache and the person in the CCTV grab from the actor’s building did not."

"After the incident, I had got a call from police who asked me where I was. The call was disconnected after I told them I was at home. I was travelling to meet my prospective bride when I was detained at Durg and then taken to Raipur. The Mumbai police team that reached there assaulted me as well,” he added.

Kanojia shared that after his release, his mother had asked him to return home, but things began to fall apart from that point. He mentioned that when he contacted his employer, he was told not to come to work, and his attempts to explain the situation were dismissed. Additionally, his grandmother informed him that the family of his prospective bride had decided to call off the marriage discussions due to his detention.

Kanojia revealed that his family had to sell their home in Virar and move to a chawl in Cuffe Parade due to the financial strain caused by his brother’s prolonged medical treatment, which ultimately led to his passing. "I have two cases against my name in Cuffe Parade and one at Gurgaon. But it doesn’t mean I can be pulled up as a suspect in such a manner and then be left in the lurch. I plan to stand outside Saif Ai Khan’s building and seek a job as I have lost everything because of what happened to him," Kanojia said.

Also read: Deepika Padukone reveals how she spends her Sundays after embracing motherhood, writes, "When I say I need a party..."

Kanojia expressed his relief, attributing it to divine intervention that Shariful was apprehended just hours after his own detention at Durg railway station. He stated that had this not happened, he might have been wrongly implicated in the case. Frustrated by the ordeal, he emphasized his desire for justice.

On January 16, Saif Ali Khan (54) was attacked multiple times by an intruder during a robbery attempt at his 12th-floor residence in Satguru Sharan, Bandra, Mumbai. He underwent surgery following the incident and was later discharged from the hospital.