Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari were sent to judicial custody on Tuesday in connection with an alleged ₹30 crore fraud case registered in Rajasthan. The couple was denied interim bail on medical grounds after completing seven days in police custody, following which the court ordered their transfer to judicial custody.
According to the Rajasthan Police, Bhatt and his wife were arrested from Mumbai on December 7 and brought to Udaipur the next day. They were produced before an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, which initially granted police custody for further investigation.
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DSP Suryaveer Singh told news agency ANI that the couple has now been lodged at the Central Jail in Udaipur as the probe continues.
Allegations linked to four-film agreement
The case stems from a complaint filed by Udaipur-based doctor Dr Ajay Murdia, founder of the Indira Group of Companies. Police officials said Murdia alleged that he was defrauded of nearly ₹30 crore after entering into a film production agreement with the accused.
As reported earlier by PTI, Murdia was introduced to the accused in April 2024 with a proposal to produce a biopic on his late wife. In May 2024, a formal agreement worth ₹47 crore was signed to produce four films, including the biopic.
Police said that while two films were reportedly completed, the remaining two projects never materialised.
Fake bills and inflated expenses alleged
Investigators allege that the accused prepared fake documents to siphon off funds from the complainant. According to police, these included fabricated bills issued in the names of non-existent vendors, inflated salary vouchers and other forged expense records.
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An official told PTI that Murdia was allegedly promised returns of nearly ₹200 crore from the projects. When the films failed to take shape and discrepancies surfaced, he approached the Bhopalpura police station in Udaipur, where an FIR was registered for cheating and related offences.
The case names Bhatt, his wife and six others as accused. Police said further investigation is underway to trace the money trail and examine the role of the remaining accused.
