Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was recently stabbed by a thief who broke into his Bandra home with the intent to rob him. Following the attack, the Mumbai Police swiftly launched an investigation and made arrests. However, in a case of mistaken identity, the police wrongfully arrested Akash Kanojia, a 31-year-old resident of Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. The incident has left Akash devastated. Speaking about his ordeal on Sunday, January 26, Akash claimed that the police’s actions have ruined his life. "I have lost my job, my reputation is in tatters, and my personal life has fallen apart."
On January 18, Akash was detained by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh while traveling on the Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Kolkata Shalimar Dnyaneshwari Express. The RPF acted on information provided by the Mumbai Police. However, just a day later, on January 19, the real suspect—a Bangladeshi national identified as Shariful Islam Shahzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, also known as Vijay Das—was arrested.
Akash was released soon after, but the damage had already been done. Recalling the incident, he said, "My family was in shock when they saw my photos on the news, with claims that I was the main suspect. The man seen in the CCTV footage of Saif Ali Khan's building didn’t even have a mustache, unlike me. My life was ruined because of a mistake."
The incident has had severe repercussions for Akash’s personal and professional life. He revealed, "I was on my way to meet my future wife when I was detained in Durg and later taken to Raipur. The Mumbai Police team that questioned me also assaulted me. After my release, my mother asked me to come home, but nothing was the same." Akash’s professional life has also been derailed. "When I called my employer, they told me not to come back and refused to listen to my side of the story. To make matters worse, my grandmother informed me that my future wife’s family called off the marriage talks after hearing about my arrest," he said.
Akash shared the struggles his family has faced in recent years. "After my brother’s prolonged illness and passing, we had to sell our house in Virar and move to a small chawl in Cuffe Parade," he said. While he admitted to having prior cases registered against him—two in Cuffe Parade and one in Gurugram—he stressed that this did not justify his wrongful arrest. "Being detained and labeled as a suspect without proper investigation has cost me everything," he added.