After nearly 70 hours and an operation that involved around 300 cops, a UPI transaction led the Mumbai police to the accused, Mohammad Shariful Islam, who attacked Saif Ali Khan at his residence in the early hours of January 16.
Islam, a Bangladeshi national, had made a payment through Google Pay for a bottle of water and paratha at a stall near Century Mill in Worli, according to a report by The Indian Express. The police traced the phone number to Thane which led them to a dense mangrove cluster.
According to sources, around 100 police personnel launched a search at the site and they found someone lying on the ground. As soon as officers moved closer, the person got up and started running. However, the police soon apprehended him.
During the interrogations, Islam admitted to have attacked Saif. He also said he fled to Thane being scared after he saw his photo on TV and YouTube.
Police scanned around 600 CCTV footage to locate the accused. He was seen in a stall near Century Mill interacting with the owner for some time. On suspicion that the shopkeeper was a friend of the accused, the police found the details of the man running the stall, Naveen Ekka, and zeroed down on the rented accommodation where he lived with the accused and some other people.
The police tracked down Ekka who revealed that Islam might have made a payment for paratha and water bottle through Google Pay. The police soon got Islam's mobile number. That was the turning point of the investigation.
The number was traced down to a labour camp in Thane. However, the phone was switched off so the exact location could not be ascertained. It led them to a contractor who confirmed that he had hired the accused some months back.
Around 20 search teams were deployed which led them to the mangrove cluster where they found Islam.