Saif Ali Khan’s attacker is still at large, Mumbai Police deny reports of suspect in custody

It's been 36 hours since actor was attacked at his home. On Friday, a man who looked similar to suspect caught on CCTV was brought to Bandra police station for questioning.

File photo of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan | ANI

Mumbai: Even after nearly 36 hours of the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, there is no breakthrough in the high-profile case with the intruder still remaining at large despite police teams on the lookout.

Although on Friday morning, the police brought a man who looked similar to the intruder for questioning at the Bandra police station, a message was later circulated clarifying that the person was not the attacker.

“The person brought to the Bandra police station for questioning is not related to the Saif Ali Khan attack case. No one is detained in the Saif Ali Khan attack case, as of now,” the Mumbai Police said in a statement.

Twenty police teams fanned out in pursuit of the attacker, who fled after a scuffle with Saif at his 12th-floor Bandra apartment around 2 a.m. on Thursday morning.

In a new CCTV footage (video of which ThePrint has access to), the suspect is seem walking upstairs around 1:37 a.m. on 16 January, coinciding with the time of the attack as mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR). The suspect is seen walking cautiously with his face covered and a bag on his back.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police is questioning people including housestaff and some workers who were doing some civil work at the actor’s house.

According to the preliminary investigation, the intruder entered the neighbouring building and jumped over the wall to enter the Satguru Sharan apartment where actors Saif and Kareena Kapoor Khan reside. To avoid being caught on CCTV in the lobby, the intruder climbed the stairs to reach the floor.

Saif is now out of ICU and recuperating at a special ward in Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital. “He is doing very well and is expected to be discharged in a day or two,” the hospital said in a medical bulletin.

According to the FIR filed based on the complaint of house staff Eliyama Phillip, she saw the bathroom door in the room open and the bathroom light on at around 2 a.m. Finding suspicious, she saw the intruder moving toward Jeh’s bed.

Eliyama is a nurse of Sair and Kareena’s four-year-old son Jehangir aka Jeh.

When she confronted the intruder, he attacked her. Hearing the commotion, Saif, Kareena and others rushed to the room. The actor then stepped in to help the nurse, but was stabbed six times in the scuffle. The intruder fled the scene upon seeing additional staff members arrive.

After the attack, Saif was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital where the doctors took out a piece of knife stuck from near his spine. “He was all soaked in blood and was accompanied by his son Taimur,” according to Dr Niraj Uttamani, chief operating officer, Lilavati Hospital.

“There were four main injuries and one was deep where a sharp object was lodged inside his body near the spinal cord. But fortunately, it did not damage his spinal cord. And there is no neurological defect,” neurosurgeon Dr Nitin Dange said.

“He is very lucky. We repaired the leaking spinal fluid and the dura which was there. We had to do a repair, which was successful. He could walk without any difficulty. He is positive and happy and that is working well for him.”

The doctors said that they were observing his progress and that the 54-year-old was doing well. “Today, we made him walk. He can walk. There is no pain or any other symptoms. He is now safe to be shifted out of ICU,” Dr Dange said, adding that the actor’s movements would remain restricted for a week at least.

(Edited by Tony Rai)