daniel chigunwe
MUMBAI. – Messages of solidarity and prayers have been pouring from fans, politicians and Bollywood stars after actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed yesterday by an intruder who invaded his home in Mumbai.
Khan, 54, is known around the world, including Zimbabwe, for his roles in Boollywood films.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in Mumbai at about 3:30am yesterday with six injuries, two deeper than the rest and one close to his spine,
The doctors at the Lilavati Hospital where Khan was rushed said he was out of danger after undergoing surgery for removing the knife stuck in his back.
This was confirmed by senior police officer Gedam Dixit.
“He [Khan] is being treated … and is out of danger,” said Dixit.
Khan’s public representatives also confirmed the incident, calling it an “attempted burglary”, adding that “the rest of the family is doing fine”.
CCTV visuals of the unidentified intruder who repeatedly stabbed Khan have been traced and ten teams have been formed to investigate the offence, police said.
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, the attacker took the staircase to escape.
Khan’s house maid, who raised initial alarm, suffered a minor knife injury during the scuffle.
She later visited the police station to lodge a complaint for alleged attempted murder and trespassing.
Police, however, did not confirm the sections under which the First Information Report was registered.
The actor’s representatives, in a media statement, said it was a “burglary attempt.”
Khan lives in an apartment in the western Mumbai suburb of Bandra, along with his wife Kareena Kapoor-Khan, who is also an actor, and their two children.
According to news outlet NDTV, the police were still searching for the suspect and have launched an investigation into the attack.
Khan is among the country’s most bankable actors, having featured in more than 70 films and television series, in some also as a producer.
He is the son of former India cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore.
“Shocked and saddened to hear about the attack on Saif sir. Wishing and praying for his speedy recovery and good health,” actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr, also known as NTR Jr, posted on X.
Celebrities, opposition leaders and other public figures also called for tougher security.
“If such high-profile people with… security can be attacked in their homes, what could happen to common citizens?” Clyde Crasto, spokesperson of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, said on social media.
Actor and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt also called for a greater police presence in the suburb, home to many in the film industry.
“The city, and especially the queen of the suburbs, have never felt so unsafe before,” she posted on X, using a popular description for the trendy area. – Al Jazeera/NDTV/Reuters
