Saif Ali Khan attack case: Actor discharged, cops to record statement soon

Saif Ali Khan emerges from Lilavati Hospital around 4.45 pm on Tuesday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Five days after he was brutally attacked by an intruder in his residence, Saif Ali Khan, 54, was discharged from Lilavati Hospital in Bandra on Tuesday. Accompanied by his wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and other family members, the actor was spotted in a white shirt, jeans and sunglasses as he walked out of the hospital and got into his vehicle amid heavy police presence.

As Saif reached his Bandra residence, Satguru Sharan, he waved to the media. The Dil Chahta Hai actor looked healthy as he greeted the paparazzi with a smile. Kareena and her sister Karisma Kapoor were spotted at the building where security has been tightened since the attack. CCTV cameras have also been installed on the premises.

Saif underwent a supra-major spinal surgery between 5 am and 9 am on January 16, the day of the attack, to remove the broken metal piece from the assailant's knife that was lodged in his back and underwent cosmetic surgery for multiple stab wounds on the neck and hand. Dr Niraj Uttamani, chief operating officer at the hospital, said, "Saif Ali Khan is in good health though the surgical wounds will take some time to heal. From the hospital's end, the actor was absolutely fine at the time of discharge."

Asked if the actor had been asked to return to the hospital for follow-ups, Dr Uttamani replied in affirmative, stating, "The actor will be in touch with Dr Nitin Dange, the consultant neurosurgeon who operated on him." Asked if post-operative physiotherapy was recommended, the COO replied, "The treating neurosurgeon or the actor's family will decide if it's required."

Sara Ali Khan arrives at the hospital shortly before her father is discharged. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Attempts made to contact Dr Dange did not yield any results. Meanwhile, the police team investigating the home invasion will be recording the statement of the actor in the coming days. The statement will be corroborated with the submissions of the accused, Shariful Islam, and if required, the accused can be further confronted about any new leads that come in, said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

Flashback

Saif was allegedly stabbed six times by Shariful, who had barged into his house around 2.30 am on January 16, following which the actor was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in an autorickshaw by his kin.

After the artiste's admission to the hospital, Dr Dange said, "The actor had sustained a major injury to the thoracic spine due to the broken piece of knife that was lodged. The surgery was done to remove the foreign body and also fix the cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Luckily, it was a dural [the outermost layer of tissue that covers the spinal cord] injury and did not impact the spinal cord. The actor is responding well to the treatment and we have kept him in the ICU for observation. He will be moved out of ICU by tomorrow [Friday] and should be discharged on or before Monday."

Sources within the hospital revealed that a 3D CT scan was done prior to the surgery and a 2.5-inch-long metal piece lodged in the spinal area was visible in the image. The neurosurgeon surgically removed the metal piece, which was later confirmed to be a broken knife piece.

With inputs from Agencies