The disclosures came during the interrogation of co-producer Mahboob Ansari and vendor Sandeep Vishwanath Tribhuvan, who were arrested in Mumbai on November 17 and remain in police remand until November 23. Both are among eight individuals named in an FIR filed by Dr. Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF, who alleges he was duped with promises of massive returns from four proposed film projects.
According to investigators, the accused generated more than 25 fake bills using names of painters, auto drivers, and small shopkeepers to justify online transfers from the victim. Each transaction reportedly averaged ₹2 lakh, of which ₹1.4 lakh was routed to Shwetambari Bhatt’s account while the remaining amount was retained by the vendors.
Police said the group convinced Dr. Murdia to invest ₹44.29 crore, including ₹25 crore for a film titled Maharana (later renamed Ran), which never went into production. Officers are now searching for Dinesh Kataria, a Udaipur resident accused of facilitating the initial deal between the doctor and the filmmaker. Kataria is believed to be hiding in Mumbai.
Besides Vikram and Shwetambari Bhatt, the FIR also names their daughter Krishna Bhatt, Delhi-based associate Mudit Buttan, and two senior officials of the Federation of Western India Cine EmployeesGangeshwarlal Srivastava and Ashok Dubey. Police say the activities of all accused are under surveillance and further action will follow after their roles are fully examined.
With allegations mounting, Vikram Bhatt has approached the Bombay High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail to avoid immediate arrest. Investigators say the case is likely to expand as financial trails are verified and remaining suspects are traced.
.jpg)
