Alia Bhatt is currently riding the waves of success but she has not been lucky in terms of her ‘personal assistance.’

According to the latest developments and a report by NDTV, Alia Bhatt’s 32-year-old ex-secretary, Vedika Prakash Shetty, has been arrested for a fraud worth Rs 77 Lakh.

She did all this against Alia Bhatt’s production company, Eternal Sunshine Production.

According to the police, this fraud took place between May 2022 and August 2024. The entire matter surfaced when actress and director Soni Razdan, who is also Alia Bhatt’s mother, filed a complaint at Juhu police station on January 23.

Following her complaint, a case was registered under sections related to cheating and criminal breach of trust, after which the police began their search for Vedika Shetty.

© Instagram/Alia Bhatt

As per police sources, Vedika Shetty had been working as Alia Bhatt’s personal assistant from 2021 to 2024. During her tenure, she was responsible for managing Alia’s financial paperwork, handling payments, and organising her schedule.

During the investigation, police sources revealed that Vedika Shetty allegedly created fake bills, got Alia Bhatt to unknowingly sign them, and then diverted the funds for herself.

She reportedly told Alia that the expenses were related to her travel, meetings, and other work-related arrangements, using that as a cover to syphon off the money.

The investigation has revealed that Vedika Shetty used advanced professional tools to design fake bills that appeared completely genuine.

Once Alia Bhatt unknowingly signed them, the money was transferred to the bank account of Vedika’s friend. From there, the funds were redirected back to Vedika Shetty, allowing her to quietly syphon off large sums without immediate suspicion.

© Instagram/Alia Bhatt

Following Soni Razdan’s police complaint, Vedika Shetty went on the run, constantly changing her whereabouts to evade arrest. The police tracked her movements across several locations, first in Rajasthan, then Karnataka, followed by Pune, and finally Bengaluru.

After an extensive chase, the Juhu police managed to locate and arrest her in Bengaluru. She was then brought back to Mumbai on a transit remand for further investigation.