The attacker who stabbed Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his home in Mumbai is yet to be caught, even as more than 30 police teams are on the lookout for him.
The attacker was seen on CCTV camera, wearing a red scarf and carrying a backpack, entering the premises through the stairs around 1.30am, and then hurrying down the stairs from the sixth floor of the 'Satguru Sharan' building, where Khan lives, at around 2.30am. Another CCTV footage showed him in a blue shirt and backpack in the Bandra station area.
Meanwhile, Saif Ali Khan, who suffered multiple stab injuries, including in his neck and underwent emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital, is recovering well and has been shifted out of the ICU.
Is there any underworld link to Saif Ali Khan's stabbing?
With recent death threats against Bollywood actors such as Salman Khan, the stabbing case had led to speculations that the Mumbai underworld may have a hand in it.
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However, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home (Urban) Yogesh Kadam ruled any underworld links and asserted that robbery was the only motive behind the attack.
A senior police officer told PTI that the attacker was not working for any criminal gang and probably was not even aware whose house he had entered.
Police release the person detained in connection with Saif's stabbing
Police released a carpenter who was picked up for questioning in the case. He resembled the intruder captured in the CCTV footage, and hence, was brought to the Bandra police station for questioning on Friday. However, he was released later after the police verified his alibi.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch slammed the Bandra police for not reacting to the situation quickly enough, thus allowing the culprit to escape. A Hindustan Times report quoted a Crime Branch officer as saying that had the Bandra police alerted nearby police stations and the Crime Branch soon after the incident, the chances of catching the attacker would have been high.