In the Bandra locality of Mumbai, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan resides with his family in Sadguru Sharan Apartments. At the back of this apartment is a staircase serving as an emergency fire exit. At 1:37 AM on January 16, a person stealthily climbs the stairs barefoot, face hidden with an orange muffler, his hands and clothes marked with dust and dirt, often seen when someone scales walls or drags themselves through narrow spaces.
About 55 minutes later, at 2:33 AM, the same individual is seen descending the stairs, but this time with a visible face and wearing shoes. Whether these shoes were carried in a backpack or taken from Saif Ali Khan’s residence remains uncertain. CCTV footage shows him heading upstairs at precisely 1:37 AM.
It likely took him 3 to 5 minutes to reach Saif Ali Khan’s door. Therefore, he might have entered around 1:40 to 1:45 AM. According to Mumbai Police sources, he unlocked Saif's door with a master key, a tool professional thieves often possess. What transpired inside remains unknown, as the culprit is still at large.
The subsequent series of events were narrated by Isma Philip, who works at Saif Ali Khan’s residence. The apartment’s top floor houses Saif’s duplex home, where seven people were present that fateful night: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, their sons Taimur and Jeh, and three staff members—Isma, the caretaker for Jeh, Junu for Taimur, and Geetha.
The entire Khan family retired to bed by 11 PM, with Isma following suit. Around 2 AM, Isma hears suspicious noises from a bathroom near Jeh's room. Initially assuming it was Kareena checking on Jeh, her suspicions grow, and she steps out to investigate. Opening the bathroom door, she glimpses a shadow wearing a cap, exiting the bathroom.
Source: aajtak
A person advances towards Jeh’s room. Spotting Isma, he silently signals for silence, threatening her against raising the alarm. When Isma asks his demands, he quietly states, "Money, one crore." As Isma moves towards Jeh to protect him, the intruder lunges at her.
Wielding a baton-like object in one hand and a large hex saw blade in the other, the intruder frightens Isma, who bravely positions herself between him and Jeh. In saving Jeh, Isma suffers a slash on her wrist from the blade, her scream waking Junu.
The alarming scream also rouses Saif and Kareena. Emerging from their room, they are astounded by the sight of a stranger wielding weapons inside their home. Confronted by the family, the intruder panics. As Saif rushes to shield Isma, the suspect attacks him as well. Geetha, arriving at the scene to help, intervenes.
Amid the scuffle, an intense struggle ensues with Saif as the primary target, being the sole male in the room. With so many people confronting him, the intruder brandishes a knife in addition to his blade. Though Saif and Geetha jointly manage to somewhat subdue him, he remains unrestrained, holding onto his weapons.
Away from the immediate threat, Isma, Junu, Saif, and Geetha hurriedly exit the room, locking the intruder inside. Assuming him trapped, they retreat to the upper floor to Saif and Kareena’s bedroom. Little did they expect that the intruder would escape through a window leading outside.
Source: aajtak
Upon realizing the intruder's escape, the household staff notice Saif bleeding from various wounds, with Geetha also injured though Isma’s wound was minor. With Saif and Geetha needing urgent medical attention, a staff member promptly contacts Saif’s son Ibrahim, who resides on the apartment’s sixth floor. Despite the late hour and lack of a driver, Ibrahim and the staff cleverly transport Saif using the apartment elevator to a waiting auto-rickshaw, swiftly escorting him and Geetha to Lilavati Hospital around 3 AM.
At the hospital, Saif for the first time comprehends the extent of his injuries, particularly a fragment of the assailant's knife lodged near his spinal column. He had sustained six wounds from the knife and blade, two remarkably deep by the spine and neck. Surgeons later extracted the embedded blade piece during an operation.
By the evening, Saif was transferred from ICU to a private room, with his condition improving. Yet, full recovery would take a week. Thus ends the terrifying account of Saif Ali Khan's encounter, amidst what should have been a peaceful night.
Yet, this harrowing incident illuminates a stark contrast within Sadguru Sharan Apartments in Bandra, home to prominent personalities besides Saif. Despite the affluence, security measures were surprisingly inadequate, a revelation leaving the visiting Mumbai Police baffled. No CCTV adorned Saif’s home in or out, nor did any residents employ personal guards, not even for Saif himself.
Source: aajtak
Everyday security comprised two guards at the main gate and one at the rear entrance, lacking even a visitor log to trace comings and goings. The police deduced the intrusion likely began by scaling a not-so-high wall at the back, circumventing its barbed wire barrier for access, followed by entry via the emergency stairwell into Saif’s residence.
The swift familiarity with the complex’s layout further aroused suspicion that an insider, possibly someone who had previously worked within the building, aided the thief. Although the police have the intruder’s description and image, the search remains ongoing as their 35-team effort furrows through Mumbai’s underworld to apprehend him, albeit fruitlessly so far.
Authorities suspect he is still hiding within Mumbai. However, on Saturday, a suspect named Akash was detained at Chhattisgarh’s Durg Railway Station. D.G. RPF Manoj Yadav confirmed Akash’s detention, with his photograph circulated to Mumbai Police, who have now validated his identification. Earlier, another suspect Shahid was apprehended in Girgaon for questioning.
