Actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed six times by a stranger, including a wound 2mm from his spine, at his Mumbai mansion. After a 3-day manhunt, the police arrested the suspect.
The Indian entertainment industry was shocked when recently famous actor Saif Ali Khan (54 years old) was attacked at his private villa in the Bandra West area of Mumbai.
Dramatic developments of the incident
According to nurse Eliyama Philip, who works at the actor’s house, at around 2am on January 16, while in the room of Jehangir – Khan’s youngest son – with the babysitter, she discovered a strange figure near the bathroom door. The intruder then appeared with a wooden object and a long blade, threatening and demanding 10 million rupees (about 2.9 billion VND).
The main suspect and Saif Ali Khan. Photo: Indiatimes
After the fight broke out, injuring the nurse, the Khans heard the noise and ran over. The attacker stabbed the actor six times, including a particularly dangerous wound just 2mm from his spine. According to Dr. Niraj Uttamnani, if the knife had gone any deeper, it could have caused serious damage to the victim’s spine.
The actor was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in a blood-soaked state, accompanied by his 6-year-old son Taimur. Doctors performed hours of surgery and removed a 6.3cm-long knife fragment from the victim’s back.
Saif Ali Khan stabbed six times in break-in:
The hunt and clues from fingerprints
Immediately after the incident, Mumbai police mobilized more than 100 police officers from various units to hunt down the perpetrators. They had to detain and release at least 5 people for questioning because their appearance resembled the attacker recorded on security cameras.
After a three-day manhunt, police arrested the main suspect, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad (30 years old), an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh. He had changed his name to Vijay Das and had been working for a cleaning company for the past six months.
Mumbai police checked the fingerprints against state and national databases but found no match. (Photo: Ganesh Shirsekar, Express)
Investigators collected 19 fingerprints of the suspect at the scene, including the bathroom window, the duct, and the elevator he used to break in. However, when checked against national and state fingerprint databases, there were no matches — which was later determined to be because the suspect was from overseas.
According to the investigation, Shehzad climbed the wall of the neighboring building, took the stairs to the 7th-8th floor, then crawled through the air-conditioning duct to the 12th floor and entered the apartment through the bathroom window. After committing the crime, he moved through many areas of Mumbai to hide: from Bandra to Dadar, then Worli, Andheri and finally Thane.
The breakthrough in the arrest came from a small detail: the UPI payment transaction when Shehzad bought paratha for breakfast. Security cameras also recorded him riding a motorbike with contractor Jitendra Pandey in Andheri. Finally, the suspect was arrested while hiding in the mangrove bushes in Thane .
Shehzad bought paratha for breakfast.
Out of danger and recovering well
The attack has sparked security concerns in Mumbai, especially in upscale neighbourhoods. Khan’s wife, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, took to Instagram to urge the media and paparazzi to refrain from reporting and speculating about the incident, saying the media pressure was endangering the family’s safety.
Saif Ali Khan is one of the leading stars of Indian cinema, the son of former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore. He and his wife – Kareena Kapoor Khan are considered one of the most powerful couples of Bollywood, each of them has acted in more than 60 films, including some together.
The actor is currently out of danger and recovering well in the hospital. Mumbai police have detained Shehzad for five days to continue the investigation, clarify the motive and determine if there are any accomplices. They also plan to take the suspect to the scene to perform a re-enactment of the crime.
