Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 9: In a shocking case of financial fraud, Alia Bhatt’s former personal assistant, Vedika Prakash Shetty, has been arrested for allegedly cheating the actor of Rs 76.9 lac over a period of more than two years.
The 32-year-old is accused of siphoning off funds through fabricated bills from both Ms Bhatt's personal accounts and her production house, Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt Ltd, between May 2022 and August 2024. The fraud came to light after the actor’s mother, Soni Razdan, filed a complaint with Juhu police on January 23.
According to police sources, Vedika Shetty served as Alia Bhatt’s personal assistant from 2021 to 2024 and had access to her financial records and payments. The investigation revealed that she forged bills, misrepresented them as legitimate expenses for travel and meetings, and got Ms Bhatt to sign them. The funds were then transferred to an associate’s account before being routed back to Shetty.
Police said Shetty used sophisticated software to make the fake bills appear genuine. After the complaint was lodged, she went into hiding, frequently changing her location across Rajasthan, Karnataka, Pune, and finally Bengaluru, where she was arrested and brought to Mumbai on a transit warrant.
Shetty has been booked under sections of the IPC relating to cheating and criminal breach of trust. Further investigation is underway.