Suspect in Saif Ali Khan attack captured on CCTV

Listen to article

The first photo and footage of the suspect believed to have entered Saif Ali Khan’s house in Bandra and attacked him have surfaced as the actor was reportedly stabbed six times, sustaining injuries to his hand, neck, and spine.

The suspect entered the compound next to Khan's building and scaled a wall to gain access. He then used the stairs in the rear to climb up to the floors housing Khan's apartment and entered through a fire escape.

The suspect was captured on CCTV at 2:33 am on Thursday in the stairwell of Khan's building. The photo shows him dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, carrying a backpack and what appears to be an orange scarf on his shoulder.

The video footage shows him walking down the stairs and looking straight at the camera at the point.

Khan's house help, Eliyama Phillipes alias Lima, spotted the suspect and alerted Khan, who confronted the intruder and tried to fight him off. The suspect stabbed Khan six times, causing injuries to his left hand, neck, and spine. Two other house helps were also injured in the attack.

Khan was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to remove the knife lodged in his spine. Doctors reported that 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," said Nitin Dange of Lilavati Hospital.

"I am happy to confirm that Mr. Saif Ali Khan is completely stable now. He is recovering well and out of danger," he conculded.

The police have registered a case under sections of robbery, trespassing, and "grievous hurt caused while committing lurking house-trespass."

At least eight teams have been formed to investigate the attack and trace the suspect. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is also probing the case.

The incident has sparked concerns about the safety of celebrities in Mumbai. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that while the incident was unfortunate, it would not be correct to say that Mumbai is unsafe.

 "Among all the megacities in the country, Mumbai is the safest. It is true that some incidents take place sometimes and they should be treated with seriousness but to say, based on one incident, that Mumbai is unsafe would not be correct. This tarnishes Mumbai's image. But the government is working to make Mumbai even safer," he asserted.

However, opposition leaders, including Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaundarya) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, and Aadityya Thackeray, criticized the law and order situation in the state and in Mumbai while asking the government, "If celebrities are not safe, who in Mumbai is?"

She also highlighted the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique in October last year and the shooting outside actor Salman Khan's home in April, both of which occurred in Bandra.

Known as one of Mumbai's most upscale areas, Bandra is home to many of the city's wealthy and famous, including actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed concerns about the safety of citizens in Mumbai.