31-year-old Akash Kailash Kanojia's life took a complete turn on January 17 when he was detained by Railway Protection Force (RPF) members heading to see his potential bride. His arrest was a result of a bogus warning by the Mumbai Police that set off a case of the wrong identity. This not only cost him his job but also his potential marriage.

An inaccurate identification

From Mumbai to Bilaspur, Kanojia, a Colaba resident, was on a journey aboard the Jnaneswari Express. The trip was meant to be personal, to see his unwell grandmother and meet his future bride's family. Little did he know, a misunderstanding between the RPF and Mumbai Police was about to change his life upside down.

The Mumbai Police had mistakenly linked Kanojia with the supposed mastermind of a failed break-in at the Bandra home of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan on January 16. They alerted the RPF, who subsequently detained Kanojia at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. He was taken to Raipur for questioning, where he attempted to clarify the confusion.

The RPF distributed Kanojia's image in the newspapers, therefore linking him to the attempt of burglary, despite his many attempts to show his innocence—including letting the police interview his contacts and inspect home CCTV films.

Kanojia told Hindustan Times, "The RPF personnel not only apprehended me, they also issued a press release with my photograph, which was shown widely by television channels and media outlets," The extensive media coverage had very serious results.

Having seen his picture on TV, Kanojia's potential bride's parents decided to call off the engagement. Kanojia’s employer, a tour company associated with Western Railway, also terminated his services after learning of the incident. Kanojia remembered his boss saying, "You are in legal trouble, and I don’t want to get into trouble because of you,"

The real suspect: Arrested hours later

While Kanojia’s life was crumbling under the weight of this false accusation, the real culprit was arrested. On January 18, police arrested Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national, in Thane. Shehzad was identified as the person who had broken into Saif Ali Khan's home with the intention of robbing it.

The next morning Kanojia was released, with police informing him that he was free to continue his journey. However, the damage had already been done. His photo had been widely broadcasted, and the ripple effects were irreversible.

Kanojia attempted to clarify with his employer and family once he was out. His mom, however, was very worried about the public exposure, and his employer was unsympathetic. 

"When I spoke to my mother, she seemed very worried as my photo had been shown on all news channels," Kanojia said. 

His marriage also fell off as prospective bride's family cancelled the engagement after seeing his photo on TV.