Bhubaneswar: Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari were sent to judicial custody on Tuesday in connection with an alleged ₹30-crore fraud case, after a local court denied them interim bail on medical grounds. The couple had been in police custody for seven days.
Following the court’s order, Bhatt and his wife will now be lodged at the Central Jail in Udaipur, officials said.
The couple was arrested from Mumbai on Sunday, December 7, and subsequently brought to Udaipur late on December 8 by the Rajasthan Police. The arrests came after an investigation into a financial dispute that allegedly escalated into large-scale fraud.
Allegations and Case Details
According to police, the case involves Bhatt, his wife and six other accused, who allegedly defrauded Dr Ajay Murdia, an Udaipur-based doctor and founder of the Indira Group of Companies, of nearly ₹30 crore.
Dr Murdia had reportedly approached Bhatt to produce a biopic on his late wife. The accused allegedly promised the project would generate returns of up to ₹200 crore. However, investigators say the film never materialised despite substantial payments being made.
When no progress was made on the project and the promised returns failed to materialise, Dr Murdia lodged a complaint at the Bhopalpura police station in Udaipur, prompting the investigation and subsequent arrests.
Court Proceedings
During Tuesday’s hearing, the defence sought interim bail on medical grounds, but the court rejected the plea, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the ongoing investigation. With police remand ending, the court ordered that the accused be sent to judicial custody.
Police officials said further investigation is underway to trace the money trail and determine the exact role of each accused in the alleged fraud.
The case has sent shockwaves through the film industry, with the matter now set to proceed through the judicial process in the coming days.
-OdishaAge
