NEW DELHI: In a shocking turn of events, Akash Kailash Kanojia, a 31-year-old resident of Colaba, Mumbai, was mistakenly detained by authorities in connection with an attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The incident, which unfolded on January 18, has caused Kanojia not only legal distress but also personal and professional turmoil, as he lost his job and had a marriage proposal canceled.
Kanojia, who was traveling back to his native village of Nehla in Chhattisgarh after visiting his ailing grandmother in Bilaspur, was apprehended at Durg railway station by Railway Protection Force (RPF) officers. This was two days after a foiled robbery attempt at Saif Ali Khan’s Bandra residence. The Mumbai police had mistakenly linked Kanojia to the crime after receiving erroneous information, believing him to be the attacker.
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“I had no idea why I was being detained. I was just trying to go home to my family, but the police didn’t listen to me,” Kanojia said. The authorities circulated his photograph to media outlets, which led to significant repercussions. Kanojia, employed as a driver for a Mumbai-based tour company, lost his job following the media exposure, and his prospective marriage was also called off. “The bride’s family refused to meet me after they saw my photo on TV,” he shared.
Despite his efforts to clear his name, including offering to provide evidence from CCTV footage near his home, Kanojia’s claims were ignored. “They took my photos and spread them widely, but they didn’t listen to what I had to say,” Kanojia lamented. Meanwhile, the actual attacker, identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad, was arrested on January 19 in Thane.
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Kanojia, who has faced financial and personal struggles in the past, now fears his future has been irreparably harmed. “Things were finally starting to go well for us, but now everything has changed,” he said. Amid the ongoing legal battle, Kanojia is seeking legal assistance to remove his photo from media outlets and clear his name from the attack on Saif Ali Khan.
This unfortunate ordeal highlights the serious consequences of wrongful detentions and the urgent need for thorough investigations before making public accusations.
