In a dramatic turn of events, Mumbai’s Juhu Police have arrested Vedika Prakash Shetty, the former personal assistant to actor Alia Bhatt, for allegedly embezzling a staggering Rs 76.9 lakh from Bhatt’s production house and personal accounts. The arrest comes after months of evasion, ending with Shetty’s capture in Bengaluru following a multi-state chase across Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Pune.
Investigators claim Shetty joined Bhatt’s team as a personal assistant in 2021 and slowly began exploiting the trust placed in her. She is accused of creating fake invoices that appear to cover work-related expenses like travel and meetings. Using Alia Bhatt’s signature, which she reportedly obtained under the guise of routine approvals, Shetty routed the payments through a friend’s bank account. That money was then allegedly transferred into Shetty’s own account.
According to the police, the alleged fraud took place between May 2022 and August 2024, and was uncovered after Bhatt’s mother, Soni Razdan—who is also a director at Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt Ltd—filed a complaint in January this year. The case was registered under Sections 316(4) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Alia Bhatt founded Eternal Sunshine Productions in 2021. The company made its debut with Darlings, a Netflix release featuring Alia alongside Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, and Roshan Mathew.
According to police, advanced imaging apps were used to forge professional-looking invoices, which helped Shetty avoid suspicion for nearly two years. As of now, no evidence suggests that the friend involved retained any of the funds.
Shetty arrested in Bengaluru
After the complaint was filed, Shetty absconded, prompting a prolonged investigation to track her whereabouts. She was finally arrested in Bengaluru and brought back to Mumbai on a five-day transit remand. On Tuesday, Shetty was produced in court and remanded to police custody till July 10.
A senior official from Juhu police station described the case as a gross misuse of professional trust, stating that Shetty leveraged her access and proximity to the actor to siphon off the funds undetected. The investigation is ongoing to determine if there were more people involved or if additional funds were misappropriated during Shetty’s tenure.
Investigators claim Shetty joined Bhatt’s team as a personal assistant in 2021 and slowly began exploiting the trust placed in her. She is accused of creating fake invoices that appear to cover work-related expenses like travel and meetings. Using Alia Bhatt’s signature, which she reportedly obtained under the guise of routine approvals, Shetty routed the payments through a friend’s bank account. That money was then allegedly transferred into Shetty’s own account.
According to the police, the alleged fraud took place between May 2022 and August 2024, and was uncovered after Bhatt’s mother, Soni Razdan—who is also a director at Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt Ltd—filed a complaint in January this year. The case was registered under Sections 316(4) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Alia Bhatt founded Eternal Sunshine Productions in 2021. The company made its debut with Darlings, a Netflix release featuring Alia alongside Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, and Roshan Mathew.
According to police, advanced imaging apps were used to forge professional-looking invoices, which helped Shetty avoid suspicion for nearly two years. As of now, no evidence suggests that the friend involved retained any of the funds.
Shetty arrested in Bengaluru
After the complaint was filed, Shetty absconded, prompting a prolonged investigation to track her whereabouts. She was finally arrested in Bengaluru and brought back to Mumbai on a five-day transit remand. On Tuesday, Shetty was produced in court and remanded to police custody till July 10.
A senior official from Juhu police station described the case as a gross misuse of professional trust, stating that Shetty leveraged her access and proximity to the actor to siphon off the funds undetected. The investigation is ongoing to determine if there were more people involved or if additional funds were misappropriated during Shetty’s tenure.
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