Alia Bhatt’s secretary arrested for ₹77 Lakh fraud after 5-month chase

Juhu Police has arrested Vedhika Shetty, Alia Bhatt’s former secretary, from her sister’s house in Bengaluru. She has been charged with duping the actress of ₹76.9 lakh. Shetty was sacked from her job at Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt. Ltd after the actress and her mother, Soni Bhatt, discovered forgery in invoices. The fraud occurred over a period of two years. Eternal Sunshine Productions was founded by Alia in 2021. The company’s first film was Darlings, which was released on Netflix.

Shetty made realistic-looking fake bills using professional tools and got them signed by Alia Bhatt. After that, she transferred the money to a friend’s account. This account was used to funnel the funds back to Shetty.

Soni Bhatt filed the complaint of embezzlement earlier this year. She did so at Mumbai’s Juhu Police Station, as per the police. The complaint led to the registration of a case against Vedika on January 23, 2025. This was under sections 316(4) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “Ever since the case was registered in January, Shetty has been moving from Mangalore to Rajasthan to Pune. She was finally tracked down in Bengaluru,” said an officer from Juhu police station.

Vedika Shetty was Absconding for Five Months

Nearly five months after registering the FIR, authorities arrested the accused in Bengaluru and presented in court on Tuesday. The court remanded Vedika to police custody till July 10.  No comments have been made from the actress yet on the issue.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Alia is busy filming her upcoming movie, Alpha. Directed by Shiv Rawail, the film is scheduled for release on December 25. Alia is also working on Love and War with Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

For all latest updates Follow theviralmail on X, Facebook, and Instagram