Juhu police have arrested Vedika Shetty, the former personal secretary of Bollywood actress and wife of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt for allegedly duping her for Rs 76.9 lakh by forging her signatures for over two years, reported the news agency IANS. According to the information, the accused allegedly took money from Bhatt's production house, Eternal Sunshine Production Pvt Ltd, and her personal accounts.
Shetty was traced by the Mumbai Police in Bengaluru after 5 months of search and remanded to police custody until July 10. The arrest followed a complaint by Alia’s mother, Soni Razdan, after she suspected alleged fraud in May 2022, and Razdan filed a police complaint in January.
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Based on Bhatt's mother's complaint, Juhu police registered a case under Sections 316(4) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the TOI report, Shetty joined Bhatt in 2021 as her personal assistant, generated fake invoices, and used the actress's trust to get them signed. The invoices were presented as payments for work-related expenses like travel and meetings. After Bhatt's signature, the funds were diverted to a friend's bank account, which in turn transferred the entire amount to Shetty's account.
After Razdan's complaint, Shetty fled the city and hid in several states, including Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Pune, before finally being nabbed in Bengaluru. She was brought back to Mumbai on a five-day transit remand before being produced in court on Tuesday.