Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt’s former secretary has been arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly embezzling Rs 77 lakh. Vedika Prakash Shetty, 32, has siphoned off the said amount from Alia Bhatt’s personal accounts and her production house, Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt. Ltd, according to a report by NDTV.
The financial misappropriation reportedly took place over a period of more than two years, from May 2022 to August 2024. The arrest was made following a police complaint filed in January this year by actor Soni Razdan, Alia Bhatt’s mother, at the Juhu Police Station.
How did she commit the fraud?
According to the police, per the NDTV report, Shetty forged fake bills and got Alia Bhatt to sign them under the pretext that the expenses were related to travel, meetings, or professional commitments. She then diverted the money for personal use.
Shetty used to make realistic-looking fake bills using professional tools to make them look authentic. After Bhatt signed these bills, the money was transferred to a friend’s account, which was used to funnel the funds back to Shetty.
Eternal Sunshine Productions was founded by Alia in 2021. The company’s first film was Darlings, which was released on Netflix.
Who is Vedika Prakash Shetty?
Vedika Prakash Shetty worked as Alia Bhatt’s personal assistant between 2021 and 2024. During this time, she was responsible for managing her schedule, financial transactions, and more, the outlet further reported.
Following the complaint, Shetty frequently changed locations to evade arrest. She was tracked to multiple cities including Rajasthan, Karnataka, Pune, and finally Bengaluru. The Juhu police eventually arrested her in Bengaluru and brought her to Mumbai on a transit remand.