Underworld behind Saif attack? Maha minister says...

No underworld gang is behind the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, Maharashtra minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam said on Friday.

"A suspect who has been detained in connection with the attack is not part of any gang. No gang has carried out this attack," Kadam told reporters in Pune.

Kadam said the theft was the only motive behind the attack on the actor.

"There has been no intimation from Saif Ali Khan to the police, till date on whether he faced any threat," the minister said.

"He has not sought any security cover, but if he does so, we will follow due procedure," he added.

Queried if the actor would be provided security following the incident, Kadam said Khan can put forth a demand if he believes there is a threat to his life.

"The police administration will take appropriate decision after a review (of the demand). There is a police committee which reviews applications seeking security. It is provided on the basis of severity of threat to a person," the minister added.

Khan (54) suffered grievous injuries after an intruder stabbed him with a knife repeatedly at his 12th-floor flat in upscale Bandra in the early hours of Thursday.

The actor, who received multiple stab injuries, including in his neck, underwent an emergency surgery at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital.

He is doing "very well" and expected to be discharged in two to three days, doctors said on Friday.

Kadam said the Mumbai police have detained a person whose facial features matched with the suspected attacker whose image was captured in CCTV cameras when he was fleeing the building.

The person has a criminal record and police were questioning him, he said.

Asked about possible involvement of a criminal gang in the attack, the minister maintained primary investigations have ruled out any such angle.

So far, theft seems to be the only motive behind the incident, he added.

"The Mumbai police have detained a person whose facial characteristics are similar to the man seen in CCTV cameras. The police are tracking one more person," Kadam informed.

CCTV footage showed the suspected 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.