Alia Bhatt has reportedly fallen victim to a shocking case of financial fraud involving someone from her inner circle. Her former personal assistant, Vedika Prakash Shetty, has been arrested for allegedly embezzling close to ₹77 lakh. The discrepancies came to light during a review of Bhatt’s personal financial records, as well as those of her production company, Eternal Sunshine Productions Private Limited.
Complaint Filed by Soni Razdan
The fraud came to light after Bhatt’s mother, actor-director Soni Razdan, lodged a complaint with Juhu Police on January 23, 2025. According to the FIR, Vedika Shetty committed financial irregularities amounting to ₹76.9 lakh between May 2022 and August 2024.
Trusted Role Turned Fraud
Vedika Shetty, 32, worked as Alia Bhatt’s personal assistant from 2021 to 2024. In her role, she managed the actor’s financial documents, scheduled appointments, and handled various personal arrangements. Police sources say Shetty used this access to carry out the fraud by creating fake bills.
Investigations reveal that she frequently got Bhatt to sign these fake documents under the guise of expenses related to travel, meetings, and other professional activities. These funds were then transferred to an associate’s account, who later routed the money back to Shetty.
A Trail Across States
After the complaint was registered, Shetty fled and remained on the run for several months, frequently changing locations. She was tracked from Rajasthan to Karnataka, then to Pune, and finally to Bengaluru. Juhu police eventually arrested her in Bengaluru and brought her back to Mumbai under a transit remand.
Shetty now faces charges under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal breach of trust and cheating.
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