No relief for Vikram Bhatt, his wife Shwetambari Bhatt in the Rs 30 crore fraud case; police find fresh evidence, says his team did not fully co-operate

There's clearly no relief for filmmaker Vikram Bhatt as the fraud case against him gathers pace. Investigators claim they have now secured crucial evidence and are in the process of verifying it, even as they allege a lack of full cooperation from Bhatt’s team during the probe. Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambari, were taken into custody in December in connection with the case and continue to remain in judicial custody after the court turned down their bail plea on medical grounds. According to the latest update reported by PTI, the police have seized material from several Mumbai locations linked to the filmmaker. Confirming the progress in the investigation, Investigating Officer DSP Chagan Rajpurohit said, “We have collected evidence from the filmmaker’s locations in Mumbai. Some bills have also been found. We are ascertaining their veracity. The filmmaker’s team did not fully cooperate in the investigation." Meanwhile, Bhatt’s legal representatives have pushed back strongly against the allegations. His lawyer, Kamlesh Dave, has refuted claims of fraud and criticised the conduct of the police in the matter. “Police action was done in a hasty manner in this particular case. There are set procedures in the BNSS which were not duly followed," he said, maintaining that all transactions were carried out with the full knowledge and consent of the concerned parties. The case originated from a complaint lodged by businessman Dr Ajay Murdia with the Udaipur Police. As per the FIR, Bhatt, his wife, and six other accused allegedly assured Dr Murdia that they would produce four films with a combined budget of Rs 47 crore, provided he invested an initial ₹7 crore and committed to further funding. The projects were reportedly pitched as ventures capable of earning Rs 100–200 crore in profits. Dr Murdia has claimed that the funds were subsequently diverted and misused, prompting him to approach the authorities. The FIR further notes that he was introduced to Bhatt by co-accused Dinesh Kataria during discussions surrounding a proposed biopic on Murdia’s wife, with meetings held in Mumbai in April 2024. Bhatt and Shwetambari were arrested in Mumbai on December 7 and brought to Udaipur, where they were produced before a court the following day. On December 9, they were sent to police custody for seven days