Vikram Bhatt Rs 44.7 Crore Fraud Case: Police Share Big Update
Investigating Officer DSP Chagan Rajpurohit told PTI that the police have collected material evidence from multiple locations linked to Bhatt in Mumbai.
Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari have spent over a month in jail in connection with an alleged Rs 44.7-crore fraud case filed by Indira IVF and Fertility Centre founder Ajay Murdia in Udaipur. The complainant has alleged that money meant for film projects was siphoned off using fake bills and vouchers, while the accused have denied wrongdoing. Police say they have collected evidence from Bhatt’s Mumbai locations and are verifying recovered bills. The case centres on an alleged four-film agreement that reportedly collapsed, leading to criminal proceedings.
Police Claim Evidence Found, ‘Poor Cooperation’
Investigating Officer DSP Chagan Rajpurohit told PTI that the police have collected material evidence from multiple locations linked to Bhatt in Mumbai. He said some bills have also been recovered and are being checked for authenticity. The officer also alleged that Bhatt’s team did not provide full cooperation during the investigation.
On January 5, the Rajasthan High Court rejected the accused’s plea seeking quashing of the FIR. Bhatt’s counsel had argued that the dispute was civil in nature, involving an alleged breach of contract rather than a criminal offence, and had sought transfer of the proceedings to Mumbai.
Complainant Alleges Fake Bills In Four-Film Deal
According to the complaint and the complainant’s counsel Manzoor Hussain, Murdia was introduced to Bhatt through Udaipur-based Dinesh Kataria, who acted as a mediator. Hussain alleged that Bhatt persuaded Murdia to invest in multiple projects, including a biopic and a film on Lord Shrinathji.
As per the complaint, Rs 15 crore was agreed for the biopic and Rs 25 crore for the Shrinathji film. Bhatt allegedly later sought an additional Rs 7 crore for two more films, proposing that all four projects would be produced together using a common studio set-up. Hussain claimed the scripts for the additional films were never finalised.
A firm, Indira Entertainment, was formed in Udaipur in equal partnership with Shwetambari, under which Bhatt was to submit expense bills for verification before payments were released. Hussain alleged fake vouchers and bills were generated, approved, and payments were made, with bills totalling Rs 44.27 crore cleared.
Defence Denies Fraud, Bail Hearing Due Jan 15
Bhatt’s lawyer Kamlesh Dave rejected the allegations and questioned the police action, claiming procedures under the BNSS were not properly followed. He said an application seeking a fair investigation has been filed and will be heard on Monday. Dave also said the bail application is expected to be heard in the High Court on January 15.
The FIR was lodged at Bhupalpura police station on November 8, 2025. Bhatt, Shwetambari, Kataria and Bhatt’s manager Mehboob Ansari were arrested in Mumbai on December 7 and taken to Udaipur.
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