Saif, Kareena rushed into room as intruder threatened staff, demanded Rs 1 crore

Police personnel keep watch outside the Satguru Sharan building in Bandra West on Thursday. Pics/Anurag Ahire

The intruder who entered actor Saif Ali Khan's residence, Satguru Sharan, in the early hours of Thursday was first spotted by a house help, Eliyama Philip, and he had demanded Rs 1 crore, according to the Bandra police, who recorded her statement. "I asked him, ‘Aapko kya chahiye?' He responded, ‘Need money'. When I asked him how much, he replied in English, ‘One crore'," Eliyama revealed to the cops. Saif, who is undergoing treatment at Lilavati Hospital, sustained six severe stab wounds in the scuffle with the robber.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch has launched a manhunt for the accused, who is suspected to still be in the city. The cops are hunting for the attacker based on the description of domestic helpers who had a face-off with the attacker as he barged into the home.

Eliyama, the prime witness and complainant in the case, takes care of Saif and Kareena Kapoor Khan's youngest son, Jehangir. According to the police, the 10th to 13th floors and the terrace of Satguru Sharan belong to Khan. He lives on the 11th floor, while the terrace is used by the staff. At the time of the incident, his three children - including Ibrahim Ali Khan, three male and four women staffers and Kareena, were at home.

The family resides on the 11th and 12th floors of Satguru Sharan. The 11th floor has three rooms, and the couple stay in one while the second is for the couple's first child, Taimur and Geeta, a nurse who looks after him. "The third room is for Jehangir, where I and another nanny, Junu, take care of him," said Eliyama.

‘Sensed something unusual'

Eliyama's statement to the police reads, "On January 15, around 11 pm, I fed Jayababa [Jehangir] and put him to bed. After that, Junu and I slept on the floor under his bed. On January 10, around 2 am, I woke up after hearing a sound. I got up and saw that the bathroom door was open, and the light was on inside. Assuming Kareena Ma'am had come to check on Jayababa, I went back to sleep. However, I sensed something unusual and woke up again."

It further read, "This time, I saw someone wearing a cap standing near the bathroom door. As I leaned in to see more clearly, the person came out of the bathroom and started walking toward Jayababa's bed. Alarmed, I quickly got up and went to Jayababa, but the person put a finger to his lips and said, ‘No sound,' in Hindi. At that moment, Junu also woke up. The person threatened her as well, saying, ‘Koi awaaz nahi aur koi bahar bhi nahi jayega [No noise, and no one will leave]'."

"As I tried to pick up Jayababa, the person ran toward me, holding a wooden object in his left hand and something like a hex blade in his right hand. During the struggle, he attempted to stab me with the blade. I raised my hands to block the attack and sustained injuries near my wrists and on the middle finger of my left hand. I then asked him, ‘Aapko kya chahiye?' He responded, ‘Need money'. When I asked him how much, he replied in English, ‘One crore'," the statement read.

According to Eliyama, Junu, seizing the opportunity, ran out of the room, screaming. "Hearing her, Saif Sir and Kareena Ma'am rushed into the room. Upon seeing the intruder, Saif Sir asked, ‘Kon hai? What do you want?' In response, the intruder attacked him with a wooden object and blade. When Geeta entered the room, the intruder got into a scuffle with her as well and attacked her."

‘Saif Sir pushed him away'

Eliyama stated that during the commotion, Saif managed to shove the intruder away, and everyone, including the actor, ran out of the room, shutting the door behind them. "We then rushed upstairs to another room. By that time, [staffers] Ramesh, Hari, Ramu, and Paswan, who were sleeping in the staff quarters, came out to help. When we returned to the room with them, we found the door open, but the intruder was nowhere to be found despite searching the house thoroughly," the statement read. According to Eliyama, Saif sustained injuries to the back of his neck, near his right shoulder, the left side of his back, and his left wrist and elbow while Geeta's right wrist, back and face were wounded in the scuffle.

The immediate aftermath

According to the police, Kareena asked the staff to find an auto driver as there was no one available to drive the car. Ibrahim then took Saif to Lilavati Hospital in an autorickshaw, where he underwent surgery. "We have identified the person, and multiple teams have been formed to trace him. It appears that the intruder entered the house with the intent to commit robbery," said Dixit Gedam, DCP, Zone IX.

An FIR has been registered under Sections 311 (robbery or dacoity with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 312 (attempt to commit robbery or dacoity when armed with a deadly weapon) and 331(4)(6)(7) (punishment for house-trespass or housebreaking) of the BNS.