In a significant development, prominent Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt were taken into custody by police in Mumbai on Sunday. The arrest is linked to a major cheating case involving Rs 30 crore that was originally registered in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
The Core of the Allegation: A Biopic That Never Was
The legal action stems from a formal complaint lodged by Dr. Ajay Murdia, a renowned IVF specialist and the founder of Indira IVF, based in Udaipur. Dr. Murdia has accused the Bhatt couple and six other individuals of convincing him to invest a massive sum exceeding Rs 30 crore. The investment was for a proposed biographical film based on the life of his deceased wife. The complainant states he was promised substantial financial returns from the project, which ultimately failed to materialise.
A special team from the Udaipur Police travelled to Mumbai to execute the arrest. Following the apprehension, the police successfully obtained a transit remand from a Mumbai court valid until December 9. This legal order permits them to transport the accused by road to Rajasthan for a detailed interrogation and further investigation into the matter.
Timeline of the Deal and Alleged Financial Misconduct
According to the police investigation, Dr. Murdia was introduced to the accused through a mutual contact in the year 2024. Subsequently, in May 2024, a formal agreement was signed to produce a total of four films, which included the biopic of Dr. Murdia's late wife. The cumulative value of this four-film deal was pegged at a staggering Rs 47 crore.
While investigators acknowledge that the first two films under this agreement were completed, the remaining projects, crucially including the promised biopic, were never finished. The probe has unearthed serious financial irregularities. It is alleged that the accused engaged in generating fake bills from vendors, inflating expense vouchers, and manipulating salary records. Through these methods, they are suspected of siphoning off approximately Rs 30 crore from the total investment made by Dr. Murdia.
Others named in the First Information Report (FIR) include Vikram Bhatt's daughter, Krishna Bhatt, and associates Mehboob Ansari and Dinesh Kataria. Police officials confirmed that two individuals connected to the case had been arrested prior to the detention of the Bhatts.
Legal Wrangling and Next Steps
The legal counsel for Vikram and Shwetambari Bhatt, advocates Rakesh Singh and Sanjay Singh, raised objections in court regarding the arrest procedure. They contended that the Rajasthan Police acted in a "high-handed" manner, claiming that the grounds for arrest were not properly explained to their clients. The lawyers further alleged that the accused were coerced into signing an undated document. The police have not yet issued an official response to these specific allegations.
After considering arguments from both the defence and the prosecution, the Mumbai court granted the transit remand. The Udaipur Police will now bring the accused to Rajasthan for the next phase of the investigation. The case remains active, with authorities meticulously examining all financial documents, agreements, and transaction records related to the multi-crore film deal.
