Intruder near Jeh’s room, Rs 1 crore demand: What happened at Saif Ali Khan’s house before he was stabbed?

Thursday morning started with the shocking news of an attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his Bandra home in Mumbai.

The incident took place during what is believed to be a burglary attempt, leaving the actor with multiple deep injuries.

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Preliminary investigations indicate the intruder entered the room of Khan and his wife, Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan’s youngest son.

Carrying a knife and a stick, the attacker injured the actor, members of his staff, and the child’s nanny before escaping.

A man detained in Mumbai earlier on Friday, initially reported as a suspect as per several reports, was later found to have no connection with the case, according to the police. A senior Mumbai Police officer told NDTV that the person, who was taken to Bandra Police Station for questioning, had no links to the Saif Ali Khan case. The officer added that no one has been detained or arrested in connection with the case.

What happened at Saif Ali Khan’s house?

Khan was attacked by an intruder in his 12th-floor Bandra flat at around 2:30 am on Thursday. The incident took place when the intruder allegedly confronted one of the actor’s maids.

As Saif tried to intervene and control the situation, it escalated into a violent altercation, leaving the actor with multiple stab wounds.

Police investigations suggest the attacker entered Khan’s residence with a plan to carry out a burglary. Police sources told NDTV that the intruder initially entered the compound of the adjacent building before scaling a wall to reach the actor’s building. From there, he used the rear staircase to access the floor where Saif’s flat is located. The intruder reportedly entered the apartment via a fire escape.

Several media reports revealed that the first person to notice the intruder was one of Khan’s house helps, who spotted him around 2 am. Her scream alerted Saif, who rushed to respond. A scuffle followed, during which the intruder stabbed the actor six times before fleeing the scene.

CCTV footage helped police identify the intruder’s escape route. It showed the attacker fleeing via the staircase. A screen grab of the suspect - wearing a brown collared shirt and a red scarf - has since gone viral.

Sub-Inspector Suraj Irakte told The Times of India, “The suspect appears to have entered earlier in the night and hid within the premises before launching the attack. We’ve formed ten teams to track him down.”

A police officer mentioned that the family had locked the attacker inside one of the rooms. However, the intruder managed to escape through a window.

Police teams are actively searching for the accused and are questioning the three house helps present during the incident to decide whether they had any connection with the attacker.

Attacker demanded Rs 1 crore

The entire family, including Saif Ali Khan, his wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, and their sons Jeh (four years old) and Taimur (eight years old), were at home in their 12th-floor Bandra apartment when the attack occurred. The five house helps were also present at the time of the incident.

Jeh’s nanny, Eliyama Philip, who first saw the intruder, revealed that the attacker demanded Rs 1 crore.

In her statement, Philip recalled waking up around 2 am after hearing a noise and spotting a man moving towards the sleeping child.

“I sat up to see who was in the bathroom… I saw a thin and short man come out and go towards Jeh’s bed,” Philip told police in a statement that forms the basis of the FIR, according to PTI.

The man warned her, saying, “Koi awaz nahin (don’t make any noise).”

During the scuffle, he attacked Philip with the blade, injuring her wrist, according to the statement. When she asked him what he wanted, the man said he needed Rs 1 crore.

Hearing her screams, Khan and Kareena rushed out of their room. Philip described the intruder as a man between 35-40 years old. He then attacked Saif with the knife. Another house help raised an alarm during the commotion, causing the intruder to flee.

A case has been registered under sections related to robbery, trespassing, and “grievous hurt caused while committing lurking house-trespass.” Twenty police teams have been formed to catch the accused.

Investigators are questioning two individuals who were carrying out flooring work on the terrace of the building. Police also recovered a 2.5-inch fragment of the knife removed from Khan’s spine.

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Who is the attacker?

The staff described the intruder as a man of dark complexion, slim build, around 35-40 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, and dressed in dark pants and a shirt with a cap, India Today said in a report.

Police said that the suspect was last seen running on the sixth floor of the building. He was not captured on the lobby’s CCTV cameras either entering or exiting. After the sixth floor, his whereabouts remain unknown, and he was not seen leaving through the main entrance.

Latest update about Saif Ali Khan’s health

Saif Ali Khan was rushed to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital after being stabbed by the intruder. A team of doctors performed surgery due to a serious injury to his thoracic spinal cord, caused by the knife.

According to doctors, the surgery involved removing a 2.5-inch knife fragment and repairing his leaking spinal fluid. While doctors confirmed that Saif is “out of danger,” he remains under close observation. Post-surgery, he was moved to the ICU for recovery.

“There were two other deep wounds in his left hand and on the right side of his neck, which were repaired by the plastic surgery team,” Dr Nitin Dange, a neurosurgeon who led the operation, told PTI.

Kareena Kapoor’s public statement

On Thursday night, Kareena Kapoor Khan released a public statement requesting privacy for their family following the incident.

“It has been an incredibly challenging day for our family, and we are still trying to process the events that have unfolded. I respectfully and humbly request that the media and paparazzi refrain from relentless speculation and coverage,” she wrote.

Kapoor added, “The constant scrutiny and attention are not only overwhelming but also pose a significant risk to our safety. I kindly request your cooperation during this sensitive time.”

The incident, which shook Mumbai and beyond, has highlighted the vulnerabilities faced even by well-guarded public figures.

With inputs from agencies