CCTV footage of Mira Road attacker

New Delhi: “I’m going to die! I’m going to die! Please save me!” Stuck between life and death, Rajesh Mishra Facing the knife, she shouted into the phone, her voice strained.Rajesh Mishra, a supervisor, was seriously injured when he pleaded with Subroto Sen, a guard, who himself survived a fatal knife attack by Zaib Zubair Ansari.The wounded Subroto Sen had fled behind the building and was waiting in distress for what was about to happen.Narrating to police the sequence of events that fateful night in Mumbai’s Mira Road in which he and his supervisor were seriously injured, Subroto Sen claimed that 31-year-old Zaib Zuber Ansari had come to him hours before with a murderous intention.“He asked, ‘Is there a mosque ahead?’ I said, ‘Yes, there is a mosque ahead on the right.’ Then he asked, ‘What is the name of the mosque?’ I told him, ‘I don’t know the name of the mosque.’ Then Zuber asked, ‘Are you a Hindu?’ “I replied ‘yes’,” Sen said, according to news agency IANS. He said that the accused left first. But hours later, around 4 pm, when Subroto headed towards a tea stall, he saw Zuber there again.At 4.30 in the morning, as he returned to his duty post, he started feeling uneasy. Zuber was following him!Before he could react, the accused allegedly took out a knife, grabbed Subroto’s arm and attacked him. Subroto tried to retaliate, but was injured before he could be stabbed.In an attempt to escape, he pushed away the attacker and ran towards the cabin of his supervisor Rajkumar Mishra.“However, Zuber also entered the cabin. Mishra was sitting on a chair inside. Before I could explain the situation or he could understand what was happening, Zuber – on seeing Mishra – immediately demanded, ‘You are also a Hindu, right? If not, read the Kalma.’ Mishra was unable to read Kalma. After this Zuber started attacking him continuously with the knife. “Being seated on a chair, Mishra was unable to defend himself effectively,” Subroto said.Fearing for his life, Subroto ran towards the back of the building. After some time, when the situation seemed to be calming down, he called Mishra’s mobile. Mishra replied and, in distress, pleaded, “I’m going to die! I’m going to die! Please save me!”According to police officials, the accused approached the guard posted at an under-construction building near Wockhardt Hospital around 4 am on Monday. He reportedly asked them to recite the Kalma, an important Islamic declaration of faith, before launching the attack.Ansari has been detained in connection with the attack, during which he allegedly interrogated the victims about their religious identity before attacking them with a knife, in what investigators suspect may have been a lone wolf-style incident carried out by a radicalized individual.The victims, Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen, suffered serious injuries and were admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Mishra managed to reach the hospital on his own despite his condition, while Sen was helped by Nayab Shaikh, a local resident.After the attack, police moved quickly and scanned CCTV footage of the area to trace the suspect. Ansari was tracked down and captured within about 90 minutes. He was later taken to Naya Nagar police station, where a case was registered against him under charges including attempt to murder and promoting enmity between communities.Following his arrest, Ansari was produced before a Thane court, which sent him to police custody till May 4.The scope of the investigation has since expanded, with local police working closely with the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Investigators are examining the electronic devices seized from the accused to ascertain whether the attack was an isolated act or part of a larger design.Initial findings, according to IANS report, point to notes containing references to “ISIS”, “lone wolf”, “jihad” and “Gaza”.The agency also claimed that Ansari has spent several years in the United States, where his family members live. He returned to India after reportedly failing to secure steady employment.Back in India, he lived alone in Mira Road and earned a living by taking online chemistry classes.Investigators suspect that he may have been radicalized through material accessed online.