Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was injured after an intruder allegedly barged into his home in Mumbai and stabbed him.
The incident reportedly took place around 2.30am on Thursday, while the actor, 54, was sleeping with his wife, Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, 44, and sons Taimur, 7, and Jeh, 3. According to Indian media reports, Kareena and the children were unhurt.
“An unknown person entered Actor Saif Ali Khan’s residence and argued with his maid, late last night. When the actor tried to intervene and pacify the man, he attacked Saif Ali Khan and injured him. Police are investigating the matter,” a statement from Mumbai Police said, according to news agency ANI.
“There was an attempted burglary at Mr Saif Ali Khan’s residence. He is currently in hospital undergoing a surgery. We request the media and fans to be patient. It is a police matter. We will keep you updated on the situation,” an official statement from the actor’s team read.
Khan was rushed to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital where he was reportedly undergoing surgery, with injuries close to his spine and neck.
“Saif was attacked by an unidentified person in his house. He was brought in at 3.30am in Lilavati. He has six injuries, two of which are deeper. One of the injuries is closer to his spine. We are operating on him,” said Dr Niraj Uttamani, COO of Lilavati Hospital, according to Hindustan Times.
“He is being operated upon by Neurosurgeon Nitin Dange, cosmetic surgeon Leena Jain, and anaesthetist Nisha Gandhi. We will be able to tell the extent of the damage only after the surgery is done.”
A hospital source told The Indian Express that the actor was “out of surgery and is in the recovery room”.
Indian news reports said police have formed multiple teams to find the intruder and registered a First Information Report – the first step in any police procedure upon the commission of a cognizable offence – at the Bandra Police Station.
Three attendants who work in Khan’s house are being interrogated, with one reportedly also injured during the attack, NDTV reported.
Son of cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actor Sharmila Tagore, Khan belongs to the family of erstwhile nawabs of the former princely state of Pataudi. He debuted in 1993 with Hindi-language action drama Parampara, and has gone on to star in over 60 films, including Omkara (2006), a Hindi-language adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello.
He has received several awards, including the prestigious National Film Award for his performance in Hum Tum (2004), and the Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award in 2010.
