Intruder stabs Saif Ali Khan in Bandra home, demands ₹1 crore

MUMBAI: An as-yet unidentified man broke into the Bandra home of actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor-Khan in the early hours of Thursday and inflicted multiple stab wounds on Saif, while also injuring two staff nurses who look after the couple’s two young children.

The 54-year-old actor was rushed to Lilavati Hospital at 3.30 am in an autorickshaw by members of his staff, accompanied by eight-year-old son Taimur. Kareena Kapoor Khan, who was in the house at the time of the incident, reached the hospital soon after, said a police officer.

Saif Ali Khan sustained six stab wounds including a major injury to the thoracic spinal cord due to a part of the knife lodged in his spine, according to officials. Dr Nitin Dange, the neurosurgeon who carried out the emergency operation, later told the media: “Surgery was performed to remove the embedded knife part and repair leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds on his left hand and neck were repaired by a team of plastic surgeons.” Lilavati Hospital COO Dr Niraj Uttamani said the actor, who underwent a five-hour-long surgery, is now out of danger and recuperating. The two staff nurses, identified as Elyimma Philips and Geeta, did not sustain serious injuries, officials said.

By Thursday evening, Mumbai police had released a CCTV grab of the alleged assailant, who is at large. According to the statement of the complainant, Philips, who is known in the house as Lima, she woke up around 2.30 am and spotted an intruder lurking in an alcove outside the bedroom of the Khans’ younger son, three-year-old Jeh. According to the police, the intruder had walked up the stairs until the fourth floor of the building from where he entered the duct area where all the pipes were. He clambered up the pipes to the 11th floor where the family’s primary bedrooms are. He entered the house through the window in Jeh’s bathroom.

When Philips saw him, she told the cops, she urged him not to harm the child and asked him what he wanted. The intruder asked for ₹1 crore. Philips then tried to raise an alarm and the intruder attacked her and slashed her hand with the knife he was carrying. At the same time, Jeh’s nanny, Junu, who was also sleeping in his room, managed to run out and scream for help. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor-Khan, who were in an adjoining bedroom, woke up hearing her scream and intervened. In the scuffle that followed, the intruder stabbed Saif multiple times that left him bleeding.

Meanwhile, Geeta, the staff nurse who looks after the couple’s elder son Taimur, tried to intervene and the accused attacked her as well. Eventually, everyone managed to flee out of the bedroom and shut the door, with the accused inside the bedroom. However, he managed to escape. Possibly he got down the same duct and stairs via which he entered the house.

CCTV footage released by the police shows the accused walking down a flight of stairs indicating that he used the stairwell and was possibly aware of the building’s layout, said the police. Officials added that the accused was aged 35-40, is of a slim build, and about 5 feet 5 inches tall.

The actor couple lives at Satguru Sharan, a 12-storey apartment block with duplex flats. The Khans own the apartments on 11th and 12th floor as also the terrace, which serves as their recreation area. The building is located in the heart of Bandra and is well secured with biometric entry on each floor. Over 10 days ago, there was renovation going on at the Khans’ home and there were several labourers doing carpentry and flooring work in two of the rooms in the house. The police suspect that the intruder may have been tipped off by someone from the labour team as the assailant appeared well-acquainted with the building’s layout and entry and exit points.

The police have formed six teams to hunt for the assailant, said Dikshit Gedam, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 9, in whose jurisdiction the crime was committed. The Mumbai crime branch too has started a parallel probe; inspector Daya Nayak, an encounter specialist, has been questioning the staff at the Khan household.

The Bandra police have registered a case against the unidentified intruder under sections 311 (use of deadly weapon, or causing grievous hurt to any person, or attempts to cause death or grievous hurt to any person, during robbery or dacoity) 312 (use of deadly weapons while attempting robbery or dacoity), 331(4) (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking during night), 331(6) (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking at night with preparation for causing hurt), 331(7) (causing grievous hurt to any person whilst committing lurking house-trespass or house-breaking) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Thursday’s attack on the actor has left Bandra residents and Bollywood alike stunned. While a host of the couple’s film industry colleagues made their way to Lilavati Hospital, other prominent residents spoke of their dismay about the city’s deteriorating law and order. “The city and especially the queen of the suburbs have never felt so unsafe before,” tweeted actor and producer Pooja Bhatt.

In the last few months, the suburb of Bandra has been rocked by multiple crimes against its high-profile residents. Former minister Baba Siddique was gunned down in October last year. A few months before that, two assailants on a motorcycle had opened fire at actor Salman Khan’s home.