Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, wife sent to 7-day police custody in ₹30-cr fraud case

UDaipur: Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his married woman Shwetambari feature been sent to seven-day constabulary custody by Udaipur’s additional chief juridic magistrate (ACJM)-4 margaret court in connection with a ₹30-crore fraud case. The order came after the police requested custody to continue the investigation into 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, said to be the residence of Bhatt’s sister-in-law. After securing transit remand from Bandra court, the police transported both accused to Udaipur for further legal action.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. As per the complaint, Murdia met film producer Dinesh Katariya at an event, where Katariya proposed making a biopic on Murdia’s wife, claiming the film would highlight her contribution to the nation.In April 2024, Murdia was invited to Vrindavan Studio in Mumbai, where he met Vikram Bhatt. During the meeting, an agreement was reportedly made to produce the biopic with Bhatt handling the filmmaking process while Murdia provided financing. Police said a 40-crore contract was 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, when communication suddenly stopped and repeated emails went unanswered, Murdia suspected fraud and lodged a complaint on November 8.Speaking about the arrest, DSP Chhagan Rajpurohit said,“We arrested both the accused from Mumbai and brought them to Udaipur. They have now been produced before the court, where further legal action will proceed as per law.”Bhatt’s lawyer, Advocate Jai Krishna Dave, termed the situation a misunderstanding. He said” This is a case of misunderstanding. We are fully ready to cooperate. It appears to be an accounts-mismatch issue and seems to have occurred due to miscommunication by a third party. Once documents are verified, the misunderstanding will be cleared. The police requested remand and the court has sent both to seven days of police custody.”Considering the sensitivity of the matter, 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.