Vikram Bhatt and Wife Arrested in ₹30 Crore Film Fraud in Udaipur

Udaipur police apprehended renowned filmmaker Vikram Bhatt along with his wife Shwetambari in Mumbai on Sunday as part of an investigation into a ₹30 crore film production fraud. Officials revealed that the couple, together with six other suspects, is accused of defrauding Dr. Ajay Murdia, the founder of Udaipur's Indira Group of Companies.

Dr. Murdia, who operates businesses in the female infertility sector throughout India, had enlisted the Bhatts to create a biopic about his late wife, anticipating earnings of ₹200 crore. When no progress was made, he filed an FIR at the Bhopalpura police station citing cheating and related offenses.

Initial investigations showed that Dr. Murdia was introduced to the accused through a mutual contact. In May 2024, a contract was executed between Murdia and the Bhatts to produce four films, including the biopiс, valued at a total of ₹47 crore. Although the first two films were reportedly completed, the remaining productions were never fulfilled.

Authorities alleged that the accused fabricated counterfeit documents, including false invoices from non-existent suppliers, to misappropriate funds from the complainant. They reportedly inflated expenditure statements and pay slips to rationalize the diversion of approximately ₹30 crore.

Following their arrest in Mumbai, Rajasthan police requested a two-day transit remand to transport the couple back to Udaipur for further questioning and legal actions. The couple’s attorneys asserted that police coerced them into signing documents without indicating details and threatened them with harm if they refused.

The court approved the transit remand for the couple until December 9. This case has garnered significant attention, pointing to one of the largest alleged financial frauds within the Indian film industry in recent history.