Grainy mobile phone footage seen by NDTV Tuesday evening showed the suspect in a stabbing incident in Mumbai’s Naya Nagar confronting and attacking his victims – two security guards at an under-construction building.
The 60-second video – shot by an unknown individual from an upper floor – is punctuated by shouts of alarm.
At one point, the accused – wearing an orange t-shirt – is slashing at a man in a white shirt. The man tries to hobble away, pleading with his attacker, but the orange-shirted figure stumbles after him,
A third man, helpless in face of the assault, is also seen in the frame.
The police have the suspect, identified as Zaib Zuber Ansari, 31, in custody.
Police sources told NDTV Ansari demanded the guards – Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen – recite the ‘kalma‘ or ‘kalima‘, which are the foundational doctrines of Islam. When the guards said they couldn’t, he reportedly attacked with a knife.
The attack took place early Monday behind the Wockhardt Hospital.
Mishra and Sen were both injured and admitted to the same hospital.
Mishra managed to get himself there on his own but Sen needed a Good Samaritan. Nayab Sheikh, who lives in an adjacent building, saw the guard bleeding and hiding in his booth. He took him to the police station and then to the hospital.
READ | Man Stabs 2 Mumbai Guards After Asking Them To Recite ‘Kalma‘
Ansari was arrested 90 minutes later; cops scanned area CCTV footage to track him down.
He was taken to the Naya Nagar Police Station where a case was filed, including charges of attempted murder and promoting enmity between two groups. And was then produced before a court in Thane and sent to police custody till May 4.
A team of police and the state Anti-Terror Squad is investigating the attack. Authorities have urged people not to believe in rumours and refrain from spreading misleading information. Strict action will be taken against those who do so, they said.
The authorities are now examining mobile phones and electronic devices seized from Ansari to establish if this was a one-off attack or part of a conspiracy. Sources claimed words like ‘ISIS’, ‘lone wolf’, and ‘jihad’ were found scribbled in his notes.
Sources also claimed Ansari lived in the United States for several years and that members of his family still reside in that country. He was unable to find a job there and had to return to India.
READ | ‘Lone Wolf, Wanted To Join ISIS’: Cops On Mumbai Man Who Stabbed Guards
He lived alone in the Mira Road area and took online chemistry classes to earn money.
Authorities believe he was radicalised by source material found online.