Mumbai:
The Mumbai Police has released the first photo of the man who is suspected to have entered the house of Saif Ali Khan in Bandra and stabbed him six times, causing injuries to the actor’s hand, neck and spine.
The man was captured on CCTV at 2.33 am on Thursday in the stairwell of the actor’s building. In the photo released by the police, the man can be seen dressed in a t-shirt and jeans carrying a backpack and what appears to be an orange scarf.
Saif Ali Khan, his wife and actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and their sons live in an apartment – spread over four floors – in a 12-storey building in Bandra West. Police sources had earlier told NDTV that the attacker – believed to have planned to rob the Khans’ apartment – entered the compound next to the building in which the actors stay and then scaled a wall.
After gaining access to the Khans’ building, he used the stairs in the rear to climb up to the floors housing their apartment and used a fire escape to enter it.
One of the house helps in Mr Khan’s home, Eliyama Phillipes alias Lima, was reportedly the first to spot the man. She screamed, alerting the actor, who confronted the intruder and tried to fight him off. The man stabbed Mr Khan six times, causing injuries to his left hand and neck and leaving a knife lodged in his spine.
The actor was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital by his son, Ibrahim, and doctors said he is stable and out of danger.
“Mr Saif Ali Khan was admitted to the hospital around 2 am with alleged history of assault by some unknown person. He sustained severe injuries to the thoracic spinal cord due to a lodged knife in the spine. Emergency surgery was performed to remove the knife and repair leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds on his left hand and one other on his neck were repaired by the plastic surgery team,” Nitin Dange of Lilavati Hospital said.
“I am happy to confirm that Mr. Saif Ali Khan is completely stable now. He is recovering well and out of danger now,” he added.
