Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari remain in judicial custody following their arrest last December in connection with an alleged ₹30 crore fraud case. The Udaipur Police have confirmed that substantial evidence has been gathered from the couple’s Mumbai premises, including several bills whose authenticity is currently under verification.
Investigating Officer DSP Chagan Rajpurohit stated: “We have collected evidence from the filmmaker’s locations in Mumbai. Some bills have also been found. We are ascertaining their veracity. The filmmaker’s team did not fully cooperate in the investigation.”
The case stems from a complaint lodged by Rajasthan-based businessman Dr Ajay Murdia with the Udaipur Police. In the FIR, Murdia alleged that Bhatt and his wife, along with six others, induced him to invest by promising lucrative returns on film projects. They reportedly assured him that an initial funding of ₹7 crore, followed by additional investments, would enable the production of four films at a total cost of ₹47 crore, with projected profits ranging between ₹100 crore and ₹200 crore.
However, the complainant claims the funds—exceeding ₹30 crore overall—were misappropriated through deceptive means, leading to the registration of cheating charges.
ALSO READ : Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and Wife Remanded in Custody Over Alleged ₹30 Crore Fraud
The couple was apprehended in Mumbai on December 7 and transported to Udaipur, where they appeared before the court the following day. On December 9, a local magistrate remanded them to seven days of police custody. Subsequent requests for bail, including one on medical grounds, were denied, resulting in their continued judicial detention.
Last week, the Rajasthan High Court rejected their plea to quash the FIR, allowing the police investigation to proceed.
Meanwhile, Bhatt’s lawyer, Kamlesh Dave, has dismissed the fraud accusations, asserting that all transactions occurred with mutual awareness and consent between the parties. He criticized the police conduct, stating: “Police action was done in a hasty manner in this particular case. There are set procedures in the BNSS which were not duly followed.”
As the verification of recovered materials continues, the investigation into the high-profile matter remains active, with the accused yet to secure relief from the courts.
-
-
-
-
