After a lookout notice was issued against filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt, and six other individuals in an IVF‑fraud case, reports suggest that Vikram Bhatt has been arrested.
Vikram Bhatt arrested in a ₹30 crore IVF fraud case: Reports
As per reports, the arrest was carried out in a joint operation by the Rajasthan Police and Mumbai Police at his sister‑in‑law’s residence. Rajasthan Police will now seek a transit remand from the Bandra Court to transfer Bhatt to Udaipur.
Seven days prior to the arrest, Udaipur Police issued a lookout notice against Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt, and six other individuals accused of defrauding Dr Ajay Murdia, founder of the Indira Group of Companies, of ₹30 crore. The notice required all the accused to appear before Udaipur Police by 8 December and barred them from travelling abroad without permission.
Nearly 20 days earlier, an FIR for a ₹30 crore fraud was registered in Udaipur against eight people, including Vikram Bhatt and Shwetambari Bhatt. The complaint alleged that the couple had lured Dr Murdia with a promise of ₹200 crore earnings. The investigation is being handled by Bhopalpura police.
About the case
According to the police report, Dr Ajay Murdia (owner of Indira IVF Hospital) filed a complaint against Mr Bhatt, his wife, their daughter Krishna (resident of Andheri West, Mumbai), Dinesh Kataria (Saheli Nagar, Udaipur), Mehboob Ansari (producer, Thane), Mudit Butattan (Delhi), Gangeshwar Lal Srivastava (DSC Chairman), and Ashok Dubey (General Secretary, Federation of Western India Cine Employees, Mumbai).
Dr Murdia wanted to produce a biopic about his late wife and approached Dinesh Kataria for assistance. At Kataria’s suggestion, Dr Murdia visited Vrindavan Studio in Mumbai on 25 April 2024, where Kataria introduced him to Vikram Bhatt.
During the meeting, Bhatt said he would handle all filmmaking work and asked Dr Murdia to send money accordingly. Bhatt also mentioned that his wife and daughter were involved as associates in the project. He has registered a firm, VSB LLP, in his wife Shwetambari Bhatt’s name.