Bollywood Actor Saif Ali Khan Sustain 6 Stab Wounds, Condition “Stable” and “Out of Danger”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 16: The condition of the Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who sustained multiple injuries from an attack by an alleged intruder at his residence in Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday is “stable” and is recovering after surgery, the doctors who are treating him at the Lilavati hospital said.
Doctors said he was expected to be shifted out of the ICU by Friday morning and might be discharged from the hospital in a couple of days.
The incident took place at Mr Khan’s 12th floor house in Satguru Sharan building in Bandra West around 2.30 AM and the intruder is believed to have fled from the spot using the staircase. The police is claimed to have located the intruder in the CCTV footage on the staircase and has released the picture.
The profusely bleeding actor was rushed to the hospital by his elder son in an autorickshaw as no diver was immediately available to driver his car. He was bleeding from six stab injuries, one of them in his spine with a knife lodged which had to be removed through surgery.
And as the actor is recovering from the knife attack, the police are piecing together the sequence of events of the attack on the 54-year-old actor’s Bandra home before he reached Lilavati hospital. The actor, his wife and actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and their sons live in the house.
Police have said the probe so far has found that the attacker entered the actor’s home to commit burglary. According to police sources, the intruder entered the compound next to the building where the actor stays. He then scaled the wall to cross over.
Once inside the compound, the intruder took a flight of stairs on the rear side of the building to reach the floor on which the actor lives. Police have said the intruder gained access to Mr Khan’s apartment through a fire escape.
According to reports, Mr Khan’s house help Eliyama Phillipes alias Lima was the first to spot the intruder around 2 am last night. She screamed and this alerted Mr Khan. A fight between the actor and the intruder followed. The intruder stabbed Mr Khan six times before escaping the spot. CCTV cameras have captured him entering and exiting the building from the rear side, sources in police said. Police are questioning the house help, among others.
There are glaring questions about the response of the security guards on duty at the high-profile building and how the intruder managed to enter the actor’s home undetected.
Mr Khan has suffered six stab injuries and is currently out of danger, doctors have said. “Saif sustained 6 injuries, 2 are minor, 2 intermediate and 2 deep injuries. One of the injuries is on the back which is close to spine. A neurosurgeon is involved in the surgery,” said Lilavati Hospital’s COO Dr Uttamani said.
Dr Nitin Dange of Lilavati Hospital, who performed the surgery on the actor said, “Mr Saif Ali Khan was admitted to the hospital around 3AM 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,” “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.
Police have said they have identified a suspect and multiple teams are trying to arrest him. DCP Dixit Gedam confirmed that the intruder broke into the house with an intention of burglary. He said, “It has been discovered that the accused used the fire escape to enter their house. So far, the investigation suggests that it was an attempted burglary. We are making every effort to arrest the accused as soon as possible. Once he is arrested, we will be able to disclose further details.”
Police said 10 teams have been formed to investigate the offence. “As per the preliminary probe, the intruder did not force his entry or break into the actor’s 12th floor flat in Satguru Sharan building, but possibly sneaked in at some point earlier in the night, a police official said. After the incident that took place around 2.30 am, the attacker took the staircase to escape. His CCTV visuals were traced on the sixth floor, police sources said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole claimed the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan has exposed the “breakdown” in law and order in Maharashtra, where he said celebrities, leaders of the ruling party, and citizens are unsafe.
The Congress leader demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, whom he termed “ineffective” and “weak”, resign as the home minister as the rising crime rate in the state reflects the government’s failure.
Mr Fadnavis said the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was a serious incident, but it would be wrong to call Mumbai unsafe because of it. Police were taking action, and the government will take steps to make the country’s financial capital safer, said Mr Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio also. “I think Mumbai is the safest among mega cities in the country. It is true that some incidents take place sometimes, and they must be taken seriously. But to say that Mumbai is unsafe due to such incidents is not right,” Mr Fadnavis told reporters. “Mumbai’s image gets maligned (due to such comments). But, to make the city safer, the government will certainly make efforts,” he further said.
Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam said the Opposition was trying to politicise the attack, and claimed a wrong angle was being given to the case because of the actor’s surname. The incident was a “theft attempt”, and the culprit has been identified and will be nabbed soon, Mr Kadam said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “No one is safe. Let alone ordinary people, even celebrities who have their own security are not safe.” “Saif Ali Khan is a Padma Shri recipient and recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi along with his family,” Mr Raut noted. Police in the State are mostly deployed for the security of politicians, “especially those who defect”, Mr Raut said, adding, “There is no fear of law. The government stands exposed.”
The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said the knife attack on Saif Ali Khan showed the law and order situation was deteriorating in Maharashtra. “It shows [attack on Khan] that the law and order situation in Maharashtra is deteriorating. Recently, a person was killed in the same area and now this incident. All these things are worrisome,” Mr Pawar told reporters at Baramati in Pune when asked about the attack on Saif Ali Khan. “The State Government, especially the Chief Minister, who holds charge of the Home Department, should pay attention to these things more seriously,” the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said.
Expressing concern over the attack, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she was praying for his speedy recovery. “It’s very concerning to hear about the attack on noted actor Saif Ali Khan. I pray for his speedy recovery, trusting that the law will take its course and those responsible will be held accountable,” Ms Banerjee posted on X. “My thoughts and prayers are with Sharmila Di, Kareena Kapoor, and the entire family during this difficult time,” she added.
