MUMBAI (Agencies): Kareena Kapoor Khan recalled the attack on actor and husband Saif Ali Khan at their Bandra residence during the early hours of Thursday, saying that she saw the intruder stab her husband repeatedly.
Kareena was recording her statement with the Bandra Police. And it was reported by the local media.
"The attacker was aggressive. I saw him attack Saif repeatedly...Our priority was to take Saif to the hospital," she told the police.
Also, in a statement on social media, Khan's wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, asked media to stop speculating about the case.
"It has been an incredibly challenging day ... and we are still trying to process the events," the 44-year-old actor said on her Instagram profile. The couple have two boys, in addition to Khan's two children from a previous marriage.
The actor further mentioned that the attacker ran from the spot and did not take any valuables with him.
According to her, Saif was trying to protect their children Taimur and Jehangir (also known as Jeh). When the attacker could not reach Jeh, he attacked Saif multiple times, she said in a report by NDTV.
Hours after the incident, terrified Kareena went to her sister Karisma's house and Saif underwent surgery.
"After the attack, I was terrified, so Karisma took me to her house," she said.
Saif sustained serious injuries after he was stabbed six times by an intruder at his residence in Mumbai's Bandra area on Thursday.
The incident took place when the accused allegedly entered the couple's family house on the 11th floor of the Satguru Sharan building for a burglary.
Left bleeding after the attack, Saif was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery as his spinal fluid leaked out after shards of the attacker's knife lodged into his spine.
Doctors at the Lilavati Hospital - where Saif is undergoing treatment - said that Saif is recovering well post-surgery. He is likely to be discharged in a couple of days, sources said.
According to preliminary investigation, the attacker's breaking in at Saif's house lasted for nearly 30 minutes.
Police sources said that the intruder had scaled the wall of an adjacent compound to enter the premises. He was familiar with the layout of the building and took the stairs on the rear side of the building to reach the floor where the actor lives and entered the house through the fire escape, they added.
A nurse caring for Jeh Eliyama Philips was the first one to encounter the intruder who stabbed Saif. According to her, he demanded Rs1 crore (RM520,000) before Saif intervened.
Two CCTV footage have emerged so far showing the man who stabbed Saif.
In one of the videos, the accused - who had his face covered and was carrying a bag - can be seen climbing the stairs before entering the actor's house. In another footage from the building's sixth floor, the intruder was seen taking the stairs while fleeing after the incident. He was not seen thereafter.
The Mumbai police have recorded statements of over 30 people in connection with the attack, including a carpenter who worked at Saif's place two days before the incident. One person was also detained on Friday, but released hours later as he had nothing to do with the attack, police said.
The cops have formed 20 teams, along with 10 teams from the Crime Branch, to investigate the case. CCTV footage from the Bandra area has also been seized.
Indian television channels had earlier reported that police had detained and were questioning a suspect in the attack, according to Reuters.
However, Indian Express newspaper, citing police, said: "The person brought to Bandra police station for questioning is not related to the Saif Ali Khan attack case. No one is detained in the Saif Ali Khan attack case as of now."
Bandra police station did not respond to Reuters' phone calls seeking information.
The India Today channel, among others, had earlier shown police escorting a man wearing a white T-shirt into a police-station and it identified him as the suspect.
However, police officer Dikshit Gedam, a senior investigating officer, declined to confirm the detention, telling Reuters: "There's no update from yesterday regarding what we said."
The previous day police said they had identified the perpetrator of the apparent robbery attempt, and had launched a search for him.
Khan, 54, one of Bollywood's most bankable stars, who has appeared in many films and television series, had walked into the hospital in blood-soaked clothes, accompanied by his six-year old son, Taimur.
"If the knife had penetrated any further, there would have been an injury to the spine," Niraj Uttamnani, one of the doctors who treated Khan, told reporters, adding that the actor had escaped by a distance of just 2 mm (0.08 inch). "He is very fortunate."
Another doctor, Nitin Dange, added, "He is able to walk, and he is stable."
The attack on Khan, who is the son of India's former cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, shocked the film industry and residents of the city, many of whom called for better policing and security.
