Hindi film actor Saif Ali Khan was injured in a knife attack by an intruder at his home in Mumbai on Thursday, PTI reported. He was taken to hospital.

An unknown person, suspected to be a robber, entered Khan’s home and had an altercation with the actor’s domestic worker. When Khan tried to intervene, he was attacked by the man, The Times of India quoted Mumbai Police as saying.

The domestic worker was also injured in the incident, The Hindu quoted the police as saying.

The suspect fled after the attack.

A first information report has been registered against the intruder at the Bandra police station in Mumbai. Deputy Commissioner of Police Dixit Gedam said that the intruder used a fire escape staircase to enter Khan’s home, ANI reported.

“We working to arrest the accused,” the official said. “Ten detection teams are working on the case.”

The actor was brought to the Lilavati Hospital in Bandra at 3.30 am.

Khan, 54, sustained three serious injuries on his neck, back and waist, said Dr Niraj Uttamani, the hospital’s medical administrator. There were other minor cuts.

“We conducted a neurosurgery on the back,” said Uttamani. “The cut was deep and close to the spine. There is also a foreign particle, most likely a piece of the knife lodged there.”

At noon on Thursday, Khan’s team said in a statement that the actor “has come out of surgery” and was “out of danger”.

Neurosurgeon Nitin Dange said that the actor sustained a major injury to the thoracic spinal cord as the knife was lodged in his spine. “Surgery was performed to remove knife and repair leaking spinal fluid,” he said. “Two other deep wounds on his left hand and neck were repaired by plastic surgery team.”

Khan is now said to be recovering, with doctors monitoring his progress.