How Alia Bhatt’s ex-assistant conned the actor of ₹77 lakh using fake bills

Vedika Prakash Shetty has been accused of embezzling ₹76.9 lakh over a period of two years from Alia Bhatt’s production house and her personal accounts.

The Mumbai police have arrested the former personal assistant of Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt on charges of embezzling funds. Vedika Prakash Shetty, 32, has been accused of embezzling ₹76.9 lakh over a period of two years from Bhatt’s production house, Eternal Sunshine Productions Private Limited, and her personal accounts.

Vedika Shetty had been Alia's personal assistant for over two years, (File)

According to the police, Vedika Prakash Shetty, who had been employed with the company since 2021, was arrested from Bengaluru on Tuesday after being on the run for several months.

She was produced before the Bandra Magistrate Court and remanded to police custody till July 10.

How Alia Bhatt's assistant embezzled funds

According to the Juhu Police, an FIR was registered against Shetty in January following a complaint by Bhatt’s mother, Soni Razdan.

Investigating officers said Shetty had submitted multiple forged invoices to Bhatt, which were allegedly signed by the actor. The funds were then diverted to a friend’s bank account, who subsequently transferred the money into Shetty’s personal account.

Police said Shetty had been absconding and frequently changing locations to evade arrest.

While her friend reportedly did not retain any part of the embezzled funds, both of them are currently being questioned in an effort to recover the stolen amount.

Who is Vedika Shetty?

Vedika Prakash Shetty had been Alia's personal assistant for over two years, a stint that ended last year. She was responsible for handling the actor's personal and business dealings, including overseeing the operations of her production house.

Eternal Sunshine was founded by Alia in 2021. The company's first film was Darlings, the Netflix release that starred Alia, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, and Roshan Mathew.