Auto driver was unaware of his passenger's identity until Saif Ali Khan introduced himself on reaching hospital
Mumbai/IBNS: The auto driver, who took Saif Ali Khan to hospital on Thursday, said he didn't recognise the Bollywood actor until the allter introduced himself on reaching Lilavati Hospital.
Saif Ali Khan, 54, was stabbed at least six times in an apparent burglary attempt at his home in Mumbai's posh area of Bandra in the wee hours of Thursday.
"I was going via Linkin Road. The building where he (Saif Ali Khan) lives is named Satguru Niwas. A woman came running shouting rickshaw, rickshaw, rickshaw, roko, roko, roko (stop, stop, stop). She then asked to stop the auto near the building gate," the auto driver, Bhajan Singh Rana told NDTV.
The driver did not know that the injured man he was taking to the hospital was Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
"I did not know he was Saif Ali Khan. It was an emergency. Even I was nervous about who is this passenger that is getting into my auto. I was worried that I might get into trouble. And that is why I was nervous," said Rana.
"He (Saif) was wearing a white shirt stained with blood. A child sat with him, a young man also sat with him," said the driver, narrating the sequence of events.
He said that upon asking whether he should drive to Holy Family or Lilavati Hospital, the actor said, "Take me to Lilavati".
Upon reaching the hospital, a guard was called and the hospital staff assembled, said the auto driver, adding that it was then the passenger introduced himself saying: "I am Saif Ali Khan".
Saif's son from his previous marriage, Ibrahim Ali Khan, and a caretaker reportedly took the bleeding actor to hospital. He was stabbed at around 2:30 am on the night of the incident.
According to police reports, a housemaid initially noticed a shadow near the bathroom and assumed it was Kareena Kapoor checking on their younger son Jeh.
Suspicious, she moved closer to investigate, only to be attacked by a man aged 35–40 wielding a sharp weapon. The intruder threatened her to stay quiet and demanded Rs 1 crore.
During this altercation, a second housemaid entered and questioned the intruder, further escalating the situation. Hearing the commotion, Saif Ali Khan reached the spot and confronted the assailant.
A scuffle ensued, during which the actor sustained injuries at six different points on his body.
Amid the fight, a sharp weapon broke and a fragment remained lodged in his body.
As there was no driver available at the time, Saif's family called his son Ibrahim Ali Khan for assistance.
Ibrahim and his sister Sara Ali Khan, who live on the 8th floor of the same building, rushed to help.
However, unfamiliarity with the family’s automatic electric vehicle forced them to take Saif to Lilavati Hospital in an auto-rickshaw.
The incident has raised questions about security measures in the building, as the police continue their investigation into the break-in.
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