'I Will Die': Security Guard At Thane's Mira Road Recalls Stabbing Horror, ATS Probes Terror Angle

Last Updated:April 30, 2026, 11:40 IST

CNN-News18 accessed the account of injured guard, who described how he was attacked after being asked his religion, with the assailant also stabbing his supervisor inside a cabin.

In an exclusive account accessed by CNN-News18, security guard Subrata Sen detailed the sequence of events that led to the stabbing incident in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road, Thane, in the early hours of April 27, describing how a routine shift spiralled into a life-threatening ordeal.

“I was on duty at the under-construction building behind Wockhardt Hospital in Naya Nagar in the early hours of April 27. Around 3 am, an unknown man approached me and casually asked, ‘Aage masjid hai kya?’ I told him there was one on the right side ahead," Sen said.

The man then asked the name of the mosque, to which Sen replied he did not know.

“That’s when he suddenly asked, ‘Hindu ho kya?’ I said yes.

He walked away, but I noticed he kept loitering nearby."

Sen said the man reappeared about an hour later.

“Around 4 am, I went to have tea near Rasaz Cinema. The same man was there too. I returned to my post around 4.30 am, and within moments, he came straight at me again. This time, he grabbed my right hand and said, ‘Hindu ho na’, before pulling out a knife and attacking me."

Despite attempting to evade the assault, Sen was injured.

“I tried to dodge, but the blade struck my back. Somehow, I broke free and ran towards the supervisor’s cabin," he said.

ATTACK CONTINUED INSIDE SUPERVISOR’S CABIN

Sen told CNN-News18 that the attacker followed him into the cabin within seconds.

“I rushed inside and told supervisor Rajkumar Mishra what had happened. But within seconds, the attacker followed me inside. He turned to Mishra and said, ‘Tu bhi Hindu hai na? Agar nahi hai toh kalma padh.’ When Mishra could not recite it, the man stabbed him too."

Fearing for his life, Sen fled the scene and hid nearby.

“For nearly five to seven minutes, I stayed hidden, fearing for my life. When I called my supervisor, he was crying and saying, ‘Main mar jaunga… main mar jaunga,’" Sen said.

When he returned, he learned from a colleague that Mishra had been rushed to the hospital.

A resident later took Sen to Naya Nagar police station, from where he was sent to a government hospital in Bhayandar for treatment before returning to lodge his complaint.

Sen said he could identify the attacker, describing him as “around 30 to 35 years old, about 5’6" tall, with shoulder-length hair, a long beard, wearing dark track pants and a light pink T-shirt."

Reflecting on the incident, he added, “What began as a routine night duty turned into a nightmare, all because I answered a question about my identity."

MAHARASHTRA ATS BEGINS INVESTIGATION

On April 28, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) launched a probe into the attack, with security agencies treating it as a possible “lone wolf" terror attack.

The accused was identified as Jabar Zubair Ansari (31).

Eyewitnesses cited in the report said the accused first sought directions before returning to question the guards about their religion.

NOTES, DIGITAL TRAIL UNDER SCANNER

During a search of the accused’s residence, investigators recovered handwritten notes in which he expressed a desire to join ISIS.

News agency ANI quotes sources as saying that he described the stabbing as his “first step" towards joining a terrorist organisation.

Investigations revealed that Ansari is a science graduate who had lived in the United States for several years before returning to India.

He was residing alone in Mira Road and providing online chemistry coaching.

Agencies suspect that he may have been radicalised through online content during his isolation.

Officials were examining his mobile phone and laptop to determine whether he had contact with any handlers.

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