Film maker Vikram Bhatt arrested for ₹30 crore scam, accused of using fake vendors, money laundering
Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Famous Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Bhatt was arrested on Sunday in a joint operation by Mumbai and Rajasthan police. He faces serious charges of defrauding a prominent Udaipur businessman of ₹30 crore in the name of filmmaking. The police team detained him at Ganga Bhavan Apartments on Yari Road in Mumbai, a house reportedly owned by his sister-in-law. Rajasthan police are now preparing to file a transit remand application in the Bandra court to take him to Udaipur.
The case began on November 17th, when Dr. Ajay Murdia, owner of Rajasthan's Indira Group of Companies, filed an FIR against eight individuals, including Vikram Bhatt. According to Murdia, at an event, a man named Dinesh Kataria suggested he make a biopic
on his wife, claiming it would help the entire country understand her contributions. In this connection, he was arranged to meet Vikram Bhatt at Vrindavan Studios in Mumbai on April 24th, 2024.
The meeting decided that Vikram Bhatt would assume full responsibility for the film's production, with Murdia simply providing the funding. Bhatt also included his wife, Shwetambari, and daughter, Krishna, in the project, and appointed Shwetambari's firm, VSB LLP, as partners. Initially, a contract worth ₹40 crore (₹400 million) was signed for two films, "Bionic" and "Maharana."
The lure of profits and the exposure of fake vendors
It is alleged that Vikram Bhatt lured Murdia into making four films for Rs 47 crore and showed him the dream of profits ranging from Rs 100 to 200 crore. On May 31, Rs 2.5 crore was RTGSed. After this, on the instructions of Bhatt and his wife, Murdia made online payments to several vendors. On July 2, 2024, Murdia registered Indira Entertainment LLP, from whose account also payments worth lakhs were made.
The most shocking revelation in the case came when the investigation revealed that the vendors who were paid crores of rupees were not people from the film industry but painters or auto-rickshaw drivers. It is alleged that after the money was deposited into the accounts of these fake vendors, a large portion was transferred back to Vikram Bhatt's wife's account.
Udaipur police took action in this case after the lookout notice
Seven days ago, Udaipur police issued a lookout notice against Vikram Bhatt and six other accused, including his wife, Shwetambari. They were given an ultimatum to appear before the police by December 8th and were barred from traveling abroad. It is noteworthy that before his arrest, Vikram Bhatt stated in a media statement that he had not yet received any legal notice and had only learned about the case through news reports.