Mumbai, January 27, 2025 : A person who was arrested in Durg, Chhattisgarh, as a suspect in the attack on Saif Ali Khan on January 16th, stated on Sunday that his life was completely ruined after the police action. As a result, he lost his job, his fiancée broke off the engagement, and his family had to face public disgrace. Akash Kanoujia, a 31-year-old driver, was arrested on January 18th by the Railway Protection Force in Durg station after receiving information from the Mumbai police. He was taken into custody from the Kolkata Shalimar Express traveling from Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. On the morning of January 19th, Mumbai police arrested Bangladeshi national Shariful Islam, also known as Shehzad Muhammad Rohila Amin Fakir or Vijay Das, from the neighboring police station. Following this, the Durg RPF released Kanoujia.
On the morning of January 16th, a person attempted a robbery at Saif Ali Khan’s residence on the 12th floor of Satguru Ashram in the Bandra area of Mumbai. The intruder attacked him multiple times with a knife. Saif underwent surgery and was later discharged. Kanoujia said, “When the media started showing my pictures and claiming that I was the prime suspect in this case, my family was shocked, and tears welled up in their eyes. One mistake by the Mumbai police ruined my life. They failed to notice that I had a mustache and didn’t even see the person in the CCTV footage from the actor’s building.”
Akash Kanoujia’s Broken Engagement
He claimed, “After the incident, I received a call from the police asking where I was. When I told them I was at home, the call was disconnected. I was on my way to meet my fiancée when I was detained in Durg and later taken to Raipur. When the Mumbai police team arrived, they also beat me up.” Kanoujia explained that after his release, his mother asked him to come home, but his life took a turn for the worse. He said, “When I called my boss, he told me not to come to work and refused to listen to me. Then, my grandmother told me that my fiancée’s family had called off the marriage talks after I was taken into custody.”
3 Cases Filed Against Kanoujia
Kanoujia claimed that after prolonged treatment, his brother passed away, and his family had to sell their house in Viraar and shift to a chawl in the Kaf Parade area. “There are two cases registered against me, one in Kaf Parade and another in Gurgown. But that doesn’t mean I should be arrested as a suspect and then released,” he said. “I had planned to stand outside Saif Ali Khan’s building and find a job because I lost everything because of what happened to him.”
Kanoujia mentioned that it was by the grace of God that Shariful was arrested just hours after being detained at the Durg railway station. He angrily added, “Who knows, I might be portrayed as a suspect in this case. Now, I want justice.”
Summary: After attacking Saif Ali Khan, the individual lost his job, marriage, and stability, facing severe consequences that led to the ruin of his life.