Mumbai: On January 16, an intruder entered actor Saif Ali Khan’s residence, located in Bandra West. The incident came as a shock, raising serious questions about how the assailant gained access to the high-security building and sparked several theories.
Key Details Revealed
Now, the chargesheet submitted by the Bandra police reveals in detail how the accused, Shariful Islam, 30, managed to enter the actor’s residence, Satguru Sharan. It also discloses exactly where the accused’s fingerprints were found, which matched the samples taken, and how the high-profile neighbours and security personnel remained completely unaware of the intrusion until much later. Moreover, the chargesheet identifies the person who first informed the police about the incident.
According to the chargesheet accessed by The Free Press Journal, the accused had begun surveillance of the actor’s building on January 15. CCTV footage first spotted him at 3:01 PM near the actor’s residence, nearby Bharati Villa, and the Next Avenue building. He was seen walking around, observing the area, and conducting a recce for nearly an hour between Satguru Sharan and a nearby hotel, Shigadi.
At 4:03 PM, he was seen near Manohar and Vimal buildings, both close to the actor’s residence. Around 4:55 PM, he entered Bharati Villa while talking on the phone, went behind the building, and climbed to the first floor. From there, late at night, he jumped into Satguru Sharan by entering through the compound area shared by Bharati Villa.
The chargesheet states that Shariful climbed to the first floor of Satguru Sharan using the building’s fire pipe and then continued up the staircase to the eleventh floor. CCTV footage inside the building shows him on the sixth floor at 1:37 AM on January 16, climbing the stairs, and again at 2:37 AM, descending. He was last seen at 3:37 AM exiting through the Bharati Villa compound. Despite police arriving at the scene soon after, they were unable to locate the intruder in the vicinity.
At 7:04 AM on January 16, Shariful was seen at Patwardhan Park in Bandra West, at 7:15 AM outside Bastin Café, and at 8:25 AM near Bandra Railway Station. By 8:35 AM, he was at Dadar Station, where he purchased a pair of earphones and then headed to Worli. At 10:05 AM, he entered Topali Wadi Galli in Worli.
Interestingly, on January 9, Shariful was seen in CCTV footage, outside Andheri railway station with another individual. Both entered an Xerox shop where they made a copy of a document and paid using Paytm. Police traced the Paytm account to Satyanarayan Pandey, 46, a resident of Dharavi. Through Pandey, the police obtained Shariful’s mobile number, marking the first major breakthrough in the case. Using the mobile number, police tracked Shariful to Thane, specifically the Ghodbunder Road area, and arrested him there.
Contrary to some media reports that suggested the accused’s fingerprints did not match, the chargesheet confirms that police collected 20 fingerprints from the scene. Forensic experts visited the building on January 26 and found the accused’s left palm print on a wooden door on the eighth floor, which matched the accused’s fingerprints. The chargesheet also states that as Shariful climbed the building, he tried to open doors on each floor, intending to steal.
After Saif, along with Taimur, went to Lilavati Hospital, Kareena first called her sister Karisma, followed by a call to her and Karisma’s manager, Poonam Damania’s husband, Tejas Damania, requesting help. The incident was reported to the police by Tejas Damania.
Tejas Damania, 46, dialled 100 after Kareena called him. However, he couldn’t explain the exact address; he just informed the control room that a theft had occurred at Kareena Kapoor’s residence, which is located behind Tavaa restaurant. Soon after, he received a call from the Santacruz Police Station. He provided them with the same information, but they informed him that her residence falls under the jurisdiction of the Bandra Police Station and assured him that the Bandra police would contact him, according to Damania’s statement.
Damania reached Saif’s residence within ten minutes and saw that Kareena and her staff were standing on the ground floor of her building. Kareena and her staff were very scared. They stopped an auto. She told him, “Ghar mein koi ghus gaya hai. Saif ko bahot laga hai aur vo Lilavati Hospital mai gaya hai.” (Someone entered the house. Saif sustained several injuries and has gone to Lilavati Hospital.) Following the report, the police soon visited Satguru Sharan and entered the actor’s flat along with the staff, but they did not find the intruder.
Surprisingly, the chargesheet revealed that most neighbours, many of whom are top executives, businessmen, hoteliers, and professionals in the aviation industry, only learned about the incident after 6 AM on January 16. This came to light through the statements given by the neighbours. Most of the neighbours learned about the incident in the morning from the building maintenance staff named Nancy, the watchmen, or the police.
That night, Dhanpal Yadav, 47, and Sureshkumar Yadav, 40, were on duty as security guards. The building employs four guards in total—two for the day shift and two at night. Dhanpal was stationed at the front gate, and Sureshkumar at the rear. Neither of them noticed the intruder, and they were unaware of the incident until Saif Ali Khan and his family came downstairs.
