Forged fake bills and siphoned money; Alia Bhatt's former personal assistant arrested for embezzling 77 lakhs

MUMBAI: Vedika Prakash Shetty (32), a former personal assistant of Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, has been arrested for allegedly embezzling Rs 76.9 lakh from the actress. The financial fraud is believed to have occurred between May 2022 and August 2024, involving funds from both Alia’s personal bank accounts and her production house, Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt. Ltd.

The matter came to light after Alia's mother, actress and director Soni Razdan, lodged a complaint at the Juhu Police Station in January this year. Following this, a case of cheating was registered against Vedika Shetty. However, she had been absconding since then.

Vedika served as Alia's personal assistant from 2021 to 2024, during which she handled financial records, payments, and scheduling. Police say Vedika forged fake bills, got them signed by Alia, and then siphoned off the money. She allegedly presented the forged bills as travel and meeting expenses. Initially, the stolen funds were deposited into a friend's account before being transferred to Vedika's own account.

Upon learning that Soni Razdan had filed a police complaint, Vedika went into hiding. Police said that Vedika used to frequently change her location, making it difficult for the investigation team to track her down. She was finally arrested in Bengaluru and has since been brought to Mumbai by Juhu Police.