Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, Wife Arrested In Rs 30 Crore Fraud Case

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt. (File)

The Udaipur police on Sunday arrested renowned filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife from Mumbai in a Rs 30 crore cheating case registered in Rajasthan.

The arrest took place during a joint operation by the Rajasthan Police and Mumbai Police at the home of Bhatt’s sister-in-law in Mumbai’s Yaari Road area, news agency PTI reported.

Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt, and six others are accused of defrauding Udaipur-based Dr Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira Group of Companies, of Rs 30 crore.

According to the FIR filed at Bhupalpura police station in Udaipur, Dr Murdia alleged that the filmmaker and his associates lured him into investing more than Rs 30 crore in four films by promising high returns (up to ₹200 crore). One of the films was said to be a biography meant to pay tribute to Dr Murdia’s late wife.

Eight people were named in the FIR, including Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari, his daughter Krishna, a local Udaipur resident Dinesh Kataria, co-producer Mahboob Ansari, and others.

“Murdia, owner of Indira IVF Hospital, wanted to make a biopic on his late wife. He has alleged that he was promised earnings of Rs 200 crore. But nothing materialised, after which Murdia approached Bhopalpura police station in Udaipur, where an FIR was registered for cheating and other offences,” a police official said as quoted by the news agency.

Rajasthan police will apply for transit remand in Bandra court on Monday.

Earlier, Udaipur Police issued a lookout notice against the film director, his wife, and other accused.

Last month, Bhatt denied of the allegations, saying that the police have been completely misguided.

“I think it came on a TV channel in Rajasthan that there has been an FIR against me. And then a journalist friend of mine sent me an FIR. So I read the entire FIR. Now, to be honest, I feel that the Rajasthan Police is being misled,” he had said.

Who Is Vikram Bhatt?

Vikram Bhatt entered the film industry as an assistant to director Mukul Anand on the latter’s debut film, ‘Kanoon Kya Karega’. He was 14 at the time. Bhatt later went on to direct several notable films, including ‘Ghulam’ starring Aamir Khan, which became a box-office success.

In 2008, Vikram Bhatt returned to the horror genre and went on to deliver successful films like 1920, Shaapit, and Haunted – 3D.

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