Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Suspect detained by Mumbai Police, doctors say actor is 'very fortunate'

Mumbai police detained a suspect on January 17 in connection with the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The man, whose identity is yet to be established, has been taken to the Bandra police station.  

He was detained after police questioned several people who resembled the attacker, an official said. The man brought into the Bandra police station was carrying a backpack similar to the one seen in the CCTV footage from the actor’s building. 

The police have not arrested anyone yet in the stabbing-trespassing case. 

The suspect was seen near the Bandra railway station after the incident yesterday, sources had said. The cops believe he had changed clothes before fleeing to evade being spotted. The police had formed 20 teams and has been gathering technical data and using informers to trace the accused. 

Police teams were also camping in Vasai and Nalasopara in search of the attacker, who had left the actor bleeding when he confronted him. 

Saif Ali Khan was stabbed six times, including in his neck, at his apartment in the posh Bandra West neighbourhood around 2:30 am. He is said to be out of danger following an emergency surgery at the Lilavati Hospital. 

Niraj Uttamani, Chief Operating Officer of Lilavati Hospital, said Khan walked into the hospital accompanied by his son, Taimur Ali Khan. “He is very fortunate. If the knife was 2 mm deeper, he would have sustained a serious injury,” he added. 

Eliyama Philip - a nurse caring for Saif Ali Khan’s four-year-old son Jehangir (also known as Jeh) - and another staffer were also injured in the attack. 

Saif Ali Khan and his family members - his wife and fellow actor Kareena Kapoor, and their two sons, Jeh and eight-year-old Taimur - were home in the 12-floor apartment along with their five house helps when the attacker entered the house. 

The break-in lasted for 30 minutes on the 11th floor of the building, during which the house-helps and Saif Ali Khan tried to fight off the intruder, according to reports. The actor’s younger son Jeh’s nanny was injured as she tried to stop him. 

Domestic staff said the knife-wielding attacker also demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore. According to police, there was no sign of forced entry, nor was anyone captured on CCTV entering the premises in the two hours before the attack.