A US Link Found In Alia Bhatt Fraud Case. What Police Said
Vedika Shetty, who worked as Ms Bhatt's personal assistant from 2021 to 2024, came in contact with a person named Shivasai Teja, who lives in the US, in December 2023. She then shared several confidential information pertaining to Eternal Sunshine Productions with the man through WhatsApp, without the knowledge and consent of the production house and its director, Soni Razdan.
Efforts are being made to ascertain more details about Teja and how he came in contact with Shetty, the officials said. Shetty was arrested from Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Besides, investigations also revealed that between May 2, 2022 and March 22, 2024, Shetty transferred huge sums of money from Ms Bhatt's account to the accounts of various people and firms, including one Satvik Sahu (₹43 lakh), Simi John (₹57,000) in the account of Simi John, Shashank Pandey (₹77,000), Chandni Jitendra Prasad Dixit (Rs 18 lakh) and ₹6 lakh in the name of a person named Manish Sukhij.
The former assistant also purchased goods worth Rs 4.36 lakh in the name of the production house and got them delivered to various addresses, the police said. IPhones and iPads worth rs 2.94 lakh were also purchased using the company's money, they added.
Police said the fraud came to light in January this year when Shetty sent an invoice to Ms Bhatt on the pretext of clearing bills for an event. Ms Bhatt turned suspicious and called the mobile number mentioned on the invoice and found the receiver to be a friend of Shetty. Following this, Ms Bhatt got her bank accounts audited and learnt about the fraud, the police added.
Earlier, police said Shetty allegedly used to prepare fake invoices and get the actor's signature on them. She used to tell Ms Bhatt that those invoices were for various expenses incurred by the actor for travel, gatherings and meetings.
After the actor signed the invoices, Shetty would send the relevant payment to her close friend, who used to transfer the entire deposited amount back to her account.
The accused has been booked under relevant legal provisions, including for cheating and criminal breach of trust, the police said.
After Ms Razdan filed a complaint, the police added, Shetty had gone into hiding and kept changing her location. She travelled to Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, before eventually being caught in Bengaluru.
There was no official statement from either Ms Bhatt or her production house till the time of filing this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Court suspends sentence of two Congress MLAs in 2014 road block case
A sessions court in Jaipur on Tuesday suspended the sentence of two Congress legislators who were among nine persons who were sentenced last month for blocking a road in Jaipur during a 2014 protest. All nine, including Shahpura MLA Manish Yadav and Ladnun MLA Mukesh Bhakar, were found guilty under IPC sections 147 (punishment for rioting) and 283 (causing danger or obstruction in a public way or line of navigation). The others sentenced by the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate on June 17, 2025 were Abhishek Chaudhary — who unsuccessfully contested 2023 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket — Dron Yadav, Rajesh Meena, Ravi Kirad, Wasim Khan, Bhanu Pratap Singh and Vidyadhar Meel. On Tuesday, the District and Sessions court suspended their sentences after their lawyers argued that there is a possibility of delay in disposal of appeal. Senior lawyer V R Bajwa, appearing for the appellants, said that if the execution of the impugned sentence is not postponed till the decision of the appeal, then the appellants will be deprived of their legal rights and that in such a case the execution of the sentence passed by the subordinate court should be postponed until the appeal is decided. The court accepted their contention and gave the relief to the petitioners. The case will now be heard on August 26, 2025. Following the trial, the court awarded a one-year sentence and a fine of Rs 3,000 each under IPC Section 147, along with an additional fine of Rs 200 under Section 283. The nine, at that time students leaders, were part of an August 2014 protest at Rajasthan University. According to court documents, the protesters from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had blocked the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg outside the main gate of Rajasthan University, prompting the police to book them.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Gangster's wife held for running flesh trade den
Nagpur: In a shocking revelation, the wife of a notorious gangster, Aarti Marskolhe, was arrested for operating a flesh trade from Tourist Plaza Building, barely 100 metres from Sitabuldi Mahametro station on Monday. Sitabuldi police station is also located within 500 metres from the place where the illegal activities were underway for several months. The raid, conducted by the social security branch of Nagpur's crime branch, led to the rescue of four women, all under the age of 30, who were victims of the illegal operation. They were shifted to a govt shelter home for rehabilitation. Led by inspector Rahul Shire, the team comprising head constable Prakash Mathankar and others, busted the racket by first sending a decoy to the spa to trap the racketeers. The raid resulted in the seizure of incriminating items valued at Rs 37,730, including a DVR, condoms, Rs 2,500 in cash, a mobile phone, an iPhone, and notebooks from the counter. The accused, Aarti, was apprehended at the spot. Sources said her husband, Akshay, was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act. Further investigation is under way.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Balasore girl who set herself ablaze over harassment dies
Bhubaneswar: A 20-year-old student, who set herself on fire protesting alleged inaction on her sexual harassment complaint against her department head in Balasore, tragically succumbed to her injuries late Monday night after a 60-hour battle for life, triggering massive protests from political parties. The Odisha govt had earlier arrested and suspended the teacher concerned. The principal was also arrested for trying to persuade the girl to withdraw her complaint. Despite the govt saying that the purview of the probe would expand in the case, her death intensified political blame game with opposition BJD and Congress alleging a "system failure" leading to the girl's untimely death. While the University Grants Commission (UGC) formed a fact-finding team, governor Hari Babu Kambhampati promised "uncompromising punishment" against those responsible. On Tuesday, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced Rs 20 lakh interim aid for the bereaved family of the second-year integrated BEd student who poured petrol on herself inside the govt-run college in full public view and set herself on fire, moments after she met the principal. The girl initially reported the matter to the college principal on June 30 and posted her ordeal in a social media post, tagging authorities and reported the matter to the police on July 1. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Seniors Are Ditching Finger Pricks with This Breakthrough Monitor Thelifeh Undo The student was initially rushed to Balasore district headquarters hospital following the incident on Saturday afternoon before being transferred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, around 200km away. Despite intensive medical intervention, including renal replacement therapy, she was declared clinically dead late on Monday, according to an AIIMS Bhubaneswar statement. The cremation was conducted at her native village in Balasore with family members and govt officials present amid palpable public anger and grief. Governor Kambhampati, who is also chancellor of universities, took to X, expressing his anguish and emphasising the need for campus safety. "Her passing is not just a tragedy — it is a stark reminder of the urgent need to safeguard our campuses. The law will take its toughest course. Those responsible will face uncompromising punishment," he stated. After a high-level meeting chaired by deputy chief ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and attended by other ministers and MLAs, revenue minister Suresh Pujari announced the scope of the investigation would expand to include all those responsible. The incident sparked strong political reactions, with Congress calling for an Odisha bandh on Tuesday. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi termed it "an organised murder by the BJP's system", while former CM and opposition leader Naveen Patnaik described it as "institutional betrayal", urging the governor to ensure accountability. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan countered Rahul, saying, "The cheap politics played by Rahul Gandhi and Congress on the tragic incident is extremely unfortunate. Turning a serious and sensitive matter into a political weapon reflects Rahul's petty mindset," he said. Countering Naveen, Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi drew a comparison between the current Majhi govt's swift response and the previous administration under Naveen, noting that crimes against women during the BJD leader's tenure did not receive such immediate attention or action.
