Mumbai, December 7: Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has landed in a serious legal trouble in connection with an alleged fraud of ₹30 crore involving an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) specialist from Rajasthan.
Following an FIR lodged in Udaipur, Mumbai Police arrested him from his sister-in-law’s house in Ganga Bhavan Apartments on Yari Road.
The case pertains to film and documentary projects for which crores of rupees are alleged to have been accepted, but according to the accuser, these projects were either not completed or were not given proper credit. However, Vikram Bhatt has dismissed these allegations as completely false.
According to the FIR lodged at the Bhupalpura police station in Udaipur, Dr Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF, claimed that he was persuaded to invest around ₹30 crore in four films and some documentary projects, including a biopic based on his late wife. It is alleged that they were lured into investing by promising profits of up to ₹200 crore from these films. However, after the funds were paid, work on some projects was halted, and they were denied promised credit for completed projects.
The FIR names eight individuals, including Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt, daughter Krishna Bhatt, and associates Mehboob Ansari and Dinesh Kataria. The Rajasthan police have launched an investigation into the matter and are examining documents, bank records, and communications related to the transactions. The film’s co-producer, Mehboob Ansari, and Sandeep Trilobhan, a Mumbai-based dealer, have already been arrested and presented before a court in Udaipur, where they have been sent to jail. The police say that more arrests may be made as the investigation progresses.
Speaking to the media before his arrest, Vikram Bhatt flatly denied the allegations against him.
He stated, “The FIR is misleading. The police are misguided. Many of the things written in it are completely baseless.”
Vikram Bhatt claimed that the projects were stalled because the complainant stopped payment midway. He also alleged that forged documents may have been used to influence the police. The filmmaker said he has ample evidence to prove his claims and is willing to fully cooperate with the investigation.