Saif Ali Khan attack: Mumbai police intensify search for accused, 20 teams probing case

MUMBAI: The crime branch of Mumbai Police have formed 20 teams to search for the accused who attacked Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his residence, leaving him injured.

To ensure the early arrest of the accused, the police have started investigating people roaming around unnecessarily at night. Along with this, people whose names are already in police records are also being called to the police stations for questioning.

The police are also showing the picture of the accused captured in the CCTV footage during interrogation. Last night, the police brought more than 15 people to the police station for questioning. On Friday, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan recorded her statement with Bandra police, regarding the attack on her husband and actor, Saif Ali Khan, at their Bandra residence early Thursday morning.

#WATCH | Saif Ali Khan’s sister Soha Ali Khan and her husband Kunal Khemu arrive at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai#SaifAliKhan is admitted here following the attack on him. As per the hospital administration, he is doing well and has been shifted from ICU to a normal room. pic.twitter.com/NhqMEkyKDu

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2025

The statement was recorded on Friday evening at her residence in the presence of police officers. So far, over 30 statements have been recorded in connection with the attack. CCTV footage from the Bandra area has been seized, and three persons of interest are being questioned. However, no arrests have been made yet in connection with the incident.

Earlier, Saif’s staff members were summoned to the Bandra police station for questioning regarding the case, but were later allowed to leave.

Meanwhile, the autorickshaw driver who rushed the actor to the hospital, also shared details of what happened and how he stepped in to help. The driver, Bhajan Singh Rana, explained that he saw a woman trying to hire an autorickshaw at 2 am on Thursday. Soon after, he approached the scene and saw the actor covered in “blood”, coming out of the gate, accompanied by a few others.

“The actor was bleeding” from his neck and back”, the driver said. “I drive my vehicle at night. It was around 2-3 am when I saw a woman trying to hire an auto, but nobody stopped. I also heard calls for a rickshaw from inside the gate. I took a U-turn and stopped my vehicle near the gate. A man covered in blood came out, along with 2-4 others. They put him in the auto and decided to go to Lilavati Hospital. I dropped them there, and later I came to know that he was Saif Ali Khan. I saw him bleeding from his neck and back”, Bhajan Singh Rana.

Saif was attacked by an intruder in his 11th-floor Bandra flat in the early hours of Thursday. The incident occurred when the intruder allegedly confronted the actor’s maid at his residence. As Saif attempted to intervene, the situation escalated into a violent altercation, resulting in the actor sustaining several stab wounds.

Saif underwent surgery at Lilavati Hospital. According to the doctors, Saif sustained a major injury to the thoracic spinal cord due to a knife lodged in his spine. Surgery was performed to remove a 2.5-inch-long blade from the actor’s spine and repair his leaking spinal fluid.While Saif is “out of danger”, doctors are continuing to monitor him. (ANI)