Vikram Bhatt, Wife Face 7-Day Custody in ₹30 Cr Fraud Case
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In a significant development, filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari have been sent to seven-day police custody in connection with a ₹30-crore fraud case. The additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM)-4 court in Udaipur made the order, allowing the police to continue investigating the financial transactions and documents linked to the case. The couple was arrested by a special police team from Mumbai and brought to Udaipur under the supervision of investigating officer, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Chhagan Rajpurohit. According to officials, the arrest was made from Ganga Bhavan Apartments in the Yari Road area, the residence of Bhatt's sister-in-law. The case is based on a complaint filed by Dr. Ajay Murdia, director of Indira Group of Companies. A first information report (FIR) was registered on November 17 against eight individuals, including the Bhatts. Murdia claimed that he met film producer Dinesh Katariya at an event, who proposed making a biopic on Murdia's wife, claiming the film would highlight her contribution to the nation. However, Murdia alleged that an agreement was made to produce the biopic with Bhatt handling the filmmaking process while Murdia provided financing. A ₹40-crore contract was reportedly signed for two films titled 'Biopic' and 'Maharana'. Between May 2024 and June 2025, Murdia transferred payments on multiple occasions to Bhatt and vendors linked to the alleged projects, amounting to ₹30 crore. However, communication suddenly stopped, and repeated emails went unanswered, prompting Murdia to suspect fraud and lodge a complaint on November 8. The police have intensified efforts to examine documentary evidence, bank statements, and financial trails, and further interrogations and technical analysis are expected in the coming days. Bhatt's lawyer has termed the situation a misunderstanding, stating that it appears to be an accounts-mismatch issue due to miscommunication by a third party.
