Indian filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt have been taken into custody in the Indian state of Rajasthan by the police in connection with an alleged 30 Indian crores fraud case.
Their arrest is tied to a complaint filed by Dr. Ajay Murdia, the founder of Udaipur’s Indira Group of Companies, who has accused the couple and several others of cheating him in relation to a proposed biopic project based on his late wife’s life.
According to the police, the Raaz director and Shwetambari were detained, medically examined, and will be transported to Udaipur once a transit remand is secured. Prior to the arrest, authorities had already issued a second round of notices to six accused individuals, instructing them to appear before investigators by December 8.
The FIR alleges that Dr. Murdia was persuaded to invest in the biopic after being assured that the film would yield profits of nearly 200 Indian crores. The complaint also names Mehboob Ansari (Executive producer of Aashiqui 2) and Dinesh Kataria (Production manager for Tumko Meri Kasam) among the accused, claiming the group engaged in financial misconduct and made false commitments.
Vikram Bhatt, however, has strongly refuted the accusations. Speaking to NDTV, he said that although he recently learned an FIR had been lodged against eight people, the information in the complaint is “misleading” and “absolutely wrong.”
He further suggested that fabricated or forged documents may have been used to sway the police, stating that something must have been created to support the allegations.
Vikram also countered the claims by alleging that it was Dr. Murdia who halted production of the film Virat midway and failed to release pending payments.
He asserted that technicians working on the project are still owed roughly ₹250 crore and have been unsuccessfully trying to contact Dr. Murdia for their dues. According to Vikram, the complaint filed against him is an attempt to deflect responsibility and avoid settling outstanding payments.
Despite his frustration, the filmmaker has expressed his willingness to cooperate fully with the investigation. He maintains that he has complete evidence to back his statements and is prepared to provide all necessary documents to the police to establish the truth and determine who is actually at fault.