Everyone was scared seeing the stranger: Saif Ali Khan tells police

Mumbai: Actor Saif Ali Khan has recorded his statement with the Mumbai Police following the January 16 attack at his home.

The actor suffered stab injuries after an intruder entered his home for an apparent burglary. Khan recorded his statement with the Bandra police on Thursday.

Sources said that Khan recalled the incident, mentioning that he and his actress wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, were in their bedroom on the 11th floor of the Satguru Sharan building when they heard their younger son Jehangir's (Jeh) nanny scream.

Awakened by her screams, Khan and Kareena rushed to their son's room where they saw the alleged attacker. While the nanny, Eliyama Philips, was scared and screaming, Jeh was crying, Khan told the police, according to the sources.

Upon entering Jeh's room, Khan found his son crying and the nanny said that the attacker had demanded Rs one crore. The actor tried to stop the accused, but he stabbed him (Khan) several times on his back, neck, and hands, police sources said.

Despite being injured, the actor pushed the intruder inside the room as the nanny ran away with Jeh and locked him in, the sources added.

Sources further mentioned that Khan said everyone was scared after seeing the stranger, and he tried to overpower him.

Khan and his family members -- wife and actor Kareena Kapoor, and their two sons Jeh and Taimur -- were in the house when the attacker entered the apartment for an apparent burglary. The alleged attacker, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, who had illegally entered India from Bangladesh last year, was arrested from Thane near Mumbai on January 19 after a three-day manhunt involving at least 20 teams from the Mumbai Police.

Police had earlier said the man who had entered the actor's flat had broken in with the intention of stealing. Fingerprints collected from Saif Ali Khan's Bandra flat have been confirmed to match Sehzad's. The prints were discovered on the duct pipe the accused allegedly used to climb to the floor of the building. Additional prints were found on the door handle of Jeh's room.

However, Shariful's father, Md Ruhul Amin Fakir, told IANS that the person captured in the CCTV footage from Saif Ali Khan's home does not resemble his son.

According to Fakir, the images from CCTV footage showing a suspect with long hair do not match his son’s usual appearance. "From what is shown in the CCTV... my son never keeps his hair long. I believe my son is being framed," Fakir asserted, denying any connection between his son’s typical appearance and the person seen in the footage.

IANS