Alia Bhatt’s former assistant arrested for embezzling ₹77 lakh using fake bills

Mumbai police have arrested Vedika Prakash Shetty, the former personal assistant of Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt for allegedly cheating the actor of nearly ₹77 lakh from the actor’s production company and personal accounts as well.

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Shetty, 32, had been working with Bhatt since 2021, handling her personal and business matters, including her production house Eternal Sunshine Productions. According to police over a span of two years, she submitted multiple fake invoices which were reportedly signed in Bhatt’s name.The money was first transferred to a friend’s bank account and then moved into Shetty’s own account.

The fraud came to light when Alia Bhatt’s mother, Soni Razdan, filed a complaint earlier this year. An FIR was registered at the Juhu Police Station in January. After the complaint, Shetty went missing and kept changing locations to avoid being caught.

She was finally traced and arrested in Bengaluru on Tuesday. She has been brought to Mumbai and presented before the Court, which has sent her to police custody until July 10. 

Investigators confirmed that the friend who received the initial transfers did not retain any of the money but is being questioned alongside Shetty as police work to recover the stolen funds.

Eternal Sunshine Productions was launched by Alia Bhatt in 2021. Its first film, Darlings, featured Bhatt along with Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew.

The case has raised concerns about financial trust and accountability in celebrity circles.