Renowned filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shewtambari Bhatt, have been arrested by the Rajasthan police in connection with the Rs 30 crore fraud case. The case mentions Dr. Ajay Murdia, who is the owner of Udaipur Indira Group of Companies, accusing Vikram Bhatt and his associates. The accusation talks about the financial wrongdoing and false promises of making a biopic of Dr. Ajay’s late wife.
The false promise of a biopic
According to PTI, Vikram Bhatt, a renowned filmmaker, and his wife have been arrested in connection with a Rs 30 crore fraud case, which was registered in Rajasthan last month. The couple was taken into custody by the police after a complaint of fraud was registered by the Udaipur-based Dr. Ajay Murdia. He mentions that Vikram Bhatt and his wife lured him to invest Rs 30 crore to make a biopic on his late wife. The couple also promised him earnings of around Rs 200 crore. These promises were never materialised, which made Dr. Ajay approach the Bhopalpura Police Station in Udaipur. The FIR was registered for ‘cheating and other offenses.’ Dr. Ajay runs a business across India in the field of female fertility. He alleged Vikram Bhatt and his associates have duped him with inducements and shown him a mirage of huge profits from film productions.
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What are the charges against Vikram and his wife?
The police’s preliminary investigation shows that Dr Ajay Murdia was introduced to Vikram Bhatt through his common friends, who aimed at making a biopic on his late wife. The officers have mentioned an agreement that was then drafted in May 2024 between Murdia and the Bhatts to produce four films. The set of four films contains a biopic. The deal was valued at around Rs 47 crore. The police mentioned that the first two projects were completed, but the remaining films remain. The accused have also been caught preparing fake documents and bills in the name of vendors that never existed. This was done in order to cheat a huge sum of money. The police also mentioned that the accused wanted to deceive the complainant by generating fake bills, inflating vouchers, and salary records, which would make him seem genuine.
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The Udaipur police team coordinated with the Mumbai police team for arresting the accused and his wife from the residence of Bhatt’s sister in Andheri, and they will be produced before a holiday magistrate in Mumbai. Rajasthan police have sought a two-day transit remand to take the accused from Mumbai to Udaipur for further questioning and legal procedures.
