NEW DELHI: Mumbai’s Juhu police have arrested Vedika Prakash Shetty, 32, former personal assistant to actor Alia Bhatt, for allegedly embezzling Rs 76.9 lakh from Bhatt’s production house, Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt Ltd, and her personal accounts. She was tracked down in Bengaluru after months on the run and remanded to police custody till July 10.The alleged fraud, spanning from May 2022 to August 2024, came to light after Bhatt’s mother, Soni Razdan — a director in the production firm — filed a complaint in January. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 316(4) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
How the fraud was executed
According to investigators, Shetty, who joined Bhatt in 2021 as her PA, generated fake invoices and used Alia’s trust to get them signed. The invoices were presented as payments for work-related expenses like travel and meetings. Once signed, the funds were diverted to a friend’s bank account, which in turn transferred the entire amount to Shetty’s own account.“She used advanced imaging apps to make the invoices look genuine,” an officer said. “So far, we have no evidence suggesting the friend retained any portion of the funds.”
Constantly on the move
Once Razdan’s complaint was filed, Shetty absconded and reportedly moved across several states — Rajasthan, Karnataka, Pune — before finally being nabbed in Bengaluru. She was brought back to Mumbai on a five-day transit remand before being produced in court on Tuesday.A senior police official at Juhu police station said Shetty had grossly misused the trust placed in her. “She exploited her role as personal secretary to siphon off Rs 76.9 lakh from the company and Ms Bhatt’s personal accounts,” the official added.
