Popular filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari Bhatt, were arrested for cheating the owner of Indira IVF Hospital out of ₹30 crore. The hospital owner wanted to produce a biopic on his late wife.
The Udaipur police arrested the couple from Mumbai on Sunday, 7 December. An official confirmed to news agency PTI that six other people have also been accused of defrauding Udaipur-based Dr Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira Group of Companies. Two people had already been arrested in connection with the cheating case.
Here's what the doctor said:
Dr Murdia, who owns Indira IVF Hospital, initially wanted to make a biopic about his late wife. In his FIR, the doctor alleges the couple promised him earnings of ₹200 crore. “But nothing materialised, after which Murdia approached Bhopalpura police station in Udaipur, where an FIR was registered for cheating and other offences,” the official added.
Udaipur police secured a transit remand for Bhatt and his wife, which was later extended until 9 December.
What are couples' lawyers saying?
The couple's lawyers, Rakesh Singh and Sanjay Singh, claimed the Rajasthan police arrested the duo high-handedly, without securing proper permission. They also told the court that the grounds for arrest were not properly communicated to the accused. Furthermore, the lawyers claimed police threatened and forced the couple to sign a document without a date or time.
Dr Murdia runs a nationwide business focusing on female infertility. He alleges the filmmaker and the other accused duped him with inducements and false assurances of huge profits from film production. The defence team also claimed police threatened to torture Vikram Bhatt in Rajasthan if he did not sign the document as per their wish.
What does the police investigation reveal?
The police's preliminary investigations reveal that an acquaintance first introduced Dr Murdia to the accused. The acquaintance proposed producing a biopic on the doctor's late wife. Police said that an agreement was subsequently prepared in May 2024 between Murdia and the Bhatts to produce a total of four films, including the biopic.
The total deal was valued at ₹47 crore. While the first two projects were reportedly completed, the remaining films were never made, according to police.
The probe by Udaipur police found that the accused prepared fake documents (bills from fake vendors) with the intention of cheating and defrauding Dr Murdia of crores of rupees. The accused allegedly devised a plan to deceive the doctor. They received funds by generating fake bills from non-existent vendors, greatly inflating actual vouchers and salary documents, and then verifying these false documents as legitimate. The accused allegedly siphoned off approximately ₹30 crore from Dr Murdia.
After their court appearance, the Rajasthan police sought a two-day transit remand to transport the accused from Mumbai to Udaipur by road for further interrogation and legal proceedings. The court allowed the transit remand until 9 December after hearing both sides.
