Has Vikram Bhatt Been Sent to 7-Day Police Custody in a Rs 30 Crore Fraud Case?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Vikram Bhatt and Shwetambari in police custody.
- Allegations of Rs 30 crore fraud.
- Investigation led by DSP Chhagan Singh Rajpurohit.
- Multiple films involved, with only two completed.
- Legal proceedings ongoing with challenges in higher courts.
Jaipur, Dec 9 (NationPress) Bollywood director Vikram Bhatt and his spouse Shwetambari have been placed under a seven-day police custody by the ACJM court in Udaipur concerning an alleged fraud case worth Rs 30 crore.
The couple was apprehended at their residence in Mumbai on December 7 and subsequently brought to Udaipur late Monday night.
They were presented in court on Tuesday afternoon, with DSP Chhagan Singh Rajpurohit spearheading the investigation.
Upon arrival in Udaipur, both attempted to evade media attention. Vikram Bhatt has already filed a challenge against the case in the High Court of Jodhpur, where the hearing is set to take place.
Previously, Udaipur Police arrested co-producer Mehboob Ansari and vendor Sandeep from Mumbai on November 16. While the court granted conditional bail to Sandeep on Monday, it denied Ansari’s bail plea. A six-member police team led by DSP Rajpurohit traveled to Mumbai and apprehended both Vikram and Shwetambari Bhatt from their flat in Juhu.
Their security personnel first tried to obstruct the police, asserting that the couple was not present, but both were ultimately taken into custody.
The case originated from an FIR filed by Dr Ajay Murdia, the owner of the Indira Group and Indira IVF. He alleged that the director and his associates raised funds under the guise of producing a biopic about his wife.
Dr Murdia stated that he was introduced to the project by Dinesh Kataria and later met Vikram Bhatt at Vrindavan Studio in Mumbai. Bhatt purportedly assured him that a Rs 7 crore investment could yield four films with an anticipated return of Rs 100-200 crore.
Consequently, several transfers were made to accounts of various individuals linked to Bhatt’s team, totaling Rs 2,45,61,400. Furthermore, Indira Entertainment allegedly disbursed Rs 42,70,82,232, despite an agreed total production cost of Rs 47 crore. According to the complaint, only two films have been completed and released. The third film, 'Vishwa Virat', is reportedly just 25 percent finished, while the fourth, 'Maharana-Ran', has yet to commence.
Bhatt is accused of misappropriating Rs 25 crore intended for the fourth film. The FIR identifies eight individuals, including Vikram Bhatt, Shwetambari Bhatt, and others.