Alia Bhatt’s former personal assistant, Vedika Prakash Shetty, has been arrested for allegedly cheating the actor of nearly Rs 77 lakh. The 32-year-old is accused of misappropriating Rs 76.9 lakh through financial irregularities involving Bhatt’s production company, Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt Ltd, and her personal accounts.
The alleged fraud occurred over two years, between May 2022 and August 2024. The matter came to light after Alia’s mother, actor and filmmaker Soni Razdan, filed a complaint at Juhu police station on January 23. Following the FIR, police launched a manhunt and booked Vedika under sections related to cheating and criminal breach of trust.
Police sources said Vedika, who worked with Alia from 2021 to 2024, was responsible for managing the actor’s financial documents, travel plans, payments, and schedule. During this period, she allegedly generated fake bills under the pretext of covering Alia’s professional expenses, such as travel and meetings.
Investigators revealed that Vedika used sophisticated tools to forge documents, got Alia to sign them, and routed the funds to a friend’s account. The money would then be redirected back to her, completing the cycle of fraud.
After the complaint was filed, Vedika reportedly went on the run, changing locations multiple times. She was tracked across Rajasthan, Karnataka, Pune, and finally Bengaluru, where she was arrested and brought back to Mumbai on a transit remand.