After Saif attack, security on toes in Mumbai’s Zone 9

The incidental was shocking connected galore counts, including the information that Saif’s location is located successful Mumbai Police’s Zone 9. The plush zone, which stretches from Andheri to Bandra, has much A-lister residents per quadrate feet than anyplace other successful the state — making it the virtual “Beverly Hills” of India.

Among Bollywood royalty who reside successful Zone 9 are Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Saif and his woman Kareena Kapoor Khan.

While residences owned by Shah Rukh — the iconic Mannat — and Salman — the celebrated Galaxy Apartment — are practically fortresses, too being perpetually swarmed by fans and the paparazzi, the information successful Saif’s gathering appeared to beryllium shockingly lax during the incident.

To a question connected the “deteriorating” instrumentality and bid concern successful Zone 9, Dikshit Gedam, Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), told The Indian Express, “One incidental does not specify the information of my zone.”

Saif Ali Khan. (Source: File)

However, 2 different high-profile incidents implicit the past twelvemonth person added to the troubles of Bandra Police. On April 14, 2024, 2 members of the Lawrence Bishnoi pack fired six rounds extracurricular Salman’s residence and fled. The histrion was already nether constabulary information owed to threats from the gang.

Reportedly furious implicit 1 of the bullets entering his house, Salman precocious made a big of information upgrades, including installing bullet-proof solid implicit his balcony and precocious CCTV cameras to support a cheque connected suspicious movements.

The 2nd breach took spot connected October 12, 2024, erstwhile Baba Siddique, a erstwhile curate and Bandra resident, was changeable dormant extracurricular his lad Zeeshan Siddique’s bureau successful Bandra East. The constabulary said the accused had conducted a recce extracurricular the politician’s Bandra West residence earlier the shooting.

Even arsenic the Saif incidental has added to the Bandra Police’s headache, immoderate unit pointed to the “absolute deficiency of information measures” successful the actor’s gathering — from hardly immoderate CCTV cameras connected the premises oregon astatine his residence, to the minimal beingness of information guards and the “easily scalable” six-foot bound wall.

“Unless 1 employs a specialised information agency, it is hardly a concealed that the mean information defender is not conscionable poorly paid but besides does 2 shifts a time to marque a living. Which is wherefore astir of them slumber during nighttime shifts. In Saif’s lawsuit too, the information defender was dormant erstwhile the accused entered the building,” said a elder officer, adding that for a high-profile gathering wherever galore Bollywood A-listers reside, “the deficiency of information was shocking”.

Soon aft the incident, the gathering hired the services of Ace Security, a institution tally by histrion Ronit Roy.

However, officers admit that determination are challenges erstwhile it comes to policing a “high-profile” portion — the biggest being however “quickly” matters escalate.

“One doesn’t cognize who is connected to whom. There are times erstwhile radical travel to america with civilian and spot disputes. We person to entertain them for hours astatine times, knowing good that determination is thing that we tin do,” an serviceman said.

“A batch of clip and vigor is spent successful fire-fighting,” different erstwhile DCP said. “One needs immoderate magnitude of independency to bash bully nonrecreational work. Here astir of our clip is spent trying to drawback up.”

A elder serviceman earlier posted successful Zone 9 says, “When it comes to Bandra, we coordinate with the unit of actors, particularly connected days similar their birthdays, erstwhile they travel retired to greet their fans. For example, we nonstop a constabulary conveyance erstwhile Amitabh comes to question to fans astir 5 p.m. connected Sundays oregon erstwhile Shah Rukh greets the crowds connected his birthday… Though we effort to guarantee nary untoward incidental happens, pickpockets prehend these moments since fans are preoccupied by the stars.”