MUMBAI( The COW News Digital)Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt has fallen victim to a major financial fraud involving her former personal assistant, Vedika Prakash Shetty, who allegedly siphoned off ₹7.7 million (INR 77 lakh) from the star over a two-year period.
According to Mumbai Police, Vedika Shetty, 32, was arrested from Bengaluru after evading authorities for nearly six months. The complaint was originally lodged by Alia Bhatt and her mother, Soni Razdan, on January 23, 2025.
The investigation revealed that Shetty misused her access to Alia Bhatt’s personal and production company accounts—Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt. Ltd.—between May 2022 and August 2024. She created fake invoices for travel, meetings, and related expenses, and then convinced Bhatt to sign off on blank or misleading cheques.
Authorities confirmed that the funds were first transferred to an associate’s bank account and later routed into Shetty’s personal account to avoid detection.
The fraud only came to light when inconsistencies were noticed in the accounts. Once the FIR was filed, Shetty went underground, changing locations frequently and avoiding digital communication. After six months of surveillance and coordinated tracking efforts, police were finally able to trace her to Bengaluru, where she was arrested earlier this week.
A senior officer involved in the investigation stated:
“This was a premeditated and prolonged scheme of deception. The suspect betrayed the trust of her employer and exploited her position for personal gain.”
Sources close to Alia Bhatt said the actress was “deeply hurt” but fully cooperated with the investigation to ensure justice was served. She is said to have tightened her personal and professional financial security protocols following the incident.
Legal proceedings are now underway, and Shetty is expected to face charges related to criminal breach of trust, fraud, and forgery, which could result in a lengthy prison sentence under Indian Penal Code.
