Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Man detained in Chhattisgarh, Mumbai Police says ‘still a suspect’

Two days after Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed during a robbery attempt at his Mumbai residence, a 31-year-old suspect was detained at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh on January 19.

The suspect, whose photo had been circulated by the Mumbai Police to the Railway Protection Force (RPF), was traveling on the Jnaneshwari Express, which operates between Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Kolkata Shalimar, PTI reported.

Aakash Kailash Kannojia, the man who was detained, remains a "suspect," Mumbai police said, adding that further action will be taken after confirming his involvement.

Earlier, a carpenter who resembled the suspect from CCTV footage was apprehended, but he was released after authorities confirmed he was not connected to the crime.

Saif Ali Khan, 54, was severely injured in the attack and was recovering well at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital. Doctors indicated he could be discharged within two to three days.

Mumbai Police has formed 30 teams to track down the attacker and recovered CCTV footage showing the suspect’s face. Around 12:30 pm, the police informed RPF at Durg that the suspect was aboard the Jnaneshwari Express. The RPF at Rajnandgaon, a station before Durg on the Mumbai-Howrah route, was alerted, but the suspect could not be found when the train stopped there. He was later located in the front general compartment at Durg station, as per the PTI report.

The suspect made to interact with Mumbai police officials over a video call and was subsequently detained at the RPF Post Durg. A Mumbai police team was en route to Chhattisgarh for further proceedings, it added.

On January 19, Mumbai Police also obtained CCTV footage from a mobile shop in Dadar that the alleged suspect had visited after the incident.

Saif Ali Khan, known for his roles in films such as Omkara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Dil Chahta Hai, and the Netflix series Sacred Games, was repeatedly stabbed by the intruder inside his 12th-floor apartment at the upscale Satguru Sharan building in Bandra West, Mumbai.

Doctors confirmed that Saif Ali Khan was recovering well and has been moved out of ICU. He was able to walk and eat normally. "His progress is excellent, and we expect him to be discharged in two to three days, depending on his comfort level," said neurosurgeon Dr. Nitin Dange, who operated on him.

In her statement to the police, Kareena Kapoor Khan, explained that the intruder became aggressive when confronted but didn’t take any of the visible jewellery. Police believe the attack was an isolated incident, with no indication that the intruder was part of any organised crime group.

CCTV footage from the building showed the suspect, wearing a red scarf and carrying a backpack, quickly descending the stairs from the sixth floor around 2:30 am on Thursday.

Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam, later confirmed that the robbery was the motive and that no underworld gang was involved.

Meanwhile, the autorickshaw driver, Bhajan Singh Rana, who rushed the actor to the hospital, has come into the spotlight. Rana explained that he did not initially recognise the blood-soaked passenger as the famous Bollywood star. "He got into the auto with a young boy and told me to take him to the hospital. When we arrived, he identified himself as Saif Ali Khan," Rana said.