Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was attacked by an assailant who barged into his Bandra house through his youngest son, Jehangir Ali Khan's room during the wee hours of Thursday (January 16). Mumbai Police officials arrested Bangladeshi national Shariful Fakir for attacking Saif with a knife and they are currently investigating the case.

As per the latest development, it has been revealed that the attacker gave in to crime because of 'extreme poverty'. He was 'penniless' after he lost his job at a restaurant in Thane.

A report in Times of India stated that Shariful wanted to steal and escape to Bangladesh with the loot to treat his 'ailing' mother.

'Shariful earned Rs 13,000 a month'

"Shariful chose Saif’s residence randomly. All he wanted was to steal from someone rich and escape to Bangladesh with the loot to help his ailing mother. The immediate provocation for the crime was that Shariful lost a housekeeping job at a Thane restaurant on December 15 when its contract with the manpower agency owned by Jitendra Pandey ended. He found himself nearly penniless," a police officer reportedly revealed.

The attacker had joined the Thane restaurant as a housekeeper in September 2024. Before that, he worked at a Worli restaurant, and he reportedly earned Rs 13,000 a month.

The report further mentioned that Shariful informed cops during interrogation that he would send Rs 12,000 to Bangladesh for his mother’s medical treatment, and he used to keep only Rs 1,000 for himself. He was also caught stealing at the restaurant one day after which he was kicked out from his job.

The investigation

On Tuesday, Mumbai police officials, along with the accused, visited several locations to recreate the crime scene. Shariful was first taken to Saif's residence, where the attack occurred. The police team then moved to the National College bus stop and later left the railway station in a police jeep before returning to the Bandra Police Station, reported ANI.

The attack took place on January 16. During a confrontation between the intruder and the housemaid, Saif intervened and sustained stab wounds to his thoracic spine. Several investigation teams were formed to probe the crime, and a case has been registered under Sections 311, 312, 331(4), 331(6), and 331(7) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

According to media reports, police also revealed that the accused was planning to flee to his native village when he was detained at Hiranandani Estate in Thane.

Saif was discharged from Lilavati Hospital on Tuesday. He went to his old residence in Bandra. Soon after getting out of his car, he waved at paps and greeted media with folded hands.