Saif attacker at large; no gang link: Police

The intruder who stabbed Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his home in Mumbai still remains at large despite more than 30 teams on the lookout for him on Friday, while a Maharashtra minister ruled out underworld link to the brutal attack.

The attacker was not working for any criminal gang and probably was not even aware whose house he had entered in, said the police, citing their investigation carried out so far.

The police picked up a carpenter in connection with the attack on Khan (54) at his apartment in the wee hours of Thursday as he resembled the intruder and brought him to the Bandra police station for questioning on Friday morning, but released him later.

A senior police official clarified the man was not related to the attack on Khan and no one has been arrested so far. “The person detained in the morning has been released. He was picked up as he looked like the intruder captured in the CCTV footage. But he had an alibi which was verified by the police. Based on that, the detained person has been released. Our probe is still on. We are looking at all angles,” said the senior official.

“This seems to be a stray incident. The alleged intruder was not working for any gang as per prima facie investigation. He probably was not even aware whose house he had entered in,” he added.

He said more than 30 teams have been formed to track down and nab the attacker, who stabbed Khan in his 12th floor apartment during a robbery attempt.

The attacker’s face was captured in CCTV footage. The video showed the assailant, wearing a red scarf and carrying a backpack, scurrying down the stairs from the sixth floor of the Satguru Sharan building, where Khan lives, at 2.30 am. Maharashtra Minister of State for Home (Urban) Yogesh Kadam said robbery was the motive behind the incident.