Man accused in Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing case speaks against wrongful arrest by police

• Man accused in Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing case spoke against Mumbai police.
• He claimed their mistake has cost him his job and marriage prospects.
• Kanojia was apprehended from a train in Chhattisgarh.

Akash Kanojia, a man previously arrested in connection with the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, has spoken out against the Mumbai police, claiming their mistake has cost him his job and marriage prospects. Kanojia was apprehended from a train in Chhattisgarh but was later released after the real suspect was arrested in Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing case.

Speaking to PTI, Kanojia expressed his frustration over the wrongful arrest, stating, “Their one mistake ruined my life. They failed to notice that I had a moustache, and the person in the CCTV grab from the actor’s building did not.” He revealed that his family was left “shocked” and “in tears” when his images as the “main accused” were circulated by news channels.

Kanojia claimed he was detained by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Durg while traveling to meet his prospective bride. “When I called my employer, he asked me not to report to work. He refused to listen to my explanation. My grandmother then told me that the family of my prospective bride had refused to go ahead with the marriage,” he lamented.

While acknowledging two previous cases against him in Cuffe Parade and Gurgaon, Kanojia argued, “But it doesn’t mean I can be pulled up as a suspect in such a manner and then be left in the lurch.” Determined to seek justice, he declared, “I plan to stand outside Saif Ali Khan’s building and seek a job, as I have lost everything because of what happened to him.”

Kanojia credited divine intervention for the swift arrest of the actual suspect, Shariful, within hours of his own detention at Durg railway station, fearing he could have been falsely implicated otherwise.

The incident in question occurred on Janu 16, 2025, when Saif Ali Khan was attacked at his Bandra residence. He underwent surgery at Lilavati Hospital and was discharged five days later on Janu 21, 2025.