What comes to mind when you hear Alia Bhatt is likely her effortless charm, blockbuster performances, and her consistent rise to one of Bollywood’s most prominent stars. But behind all the glitz, this week placed a very personal and ominous chapter into the headlines, one that includes betrayal, financial deceit, and a fugitive former employee.

Alia’s former personal assistant, Vedika Prakash Shetty, has been arrested after allegedly cheating the actress to the tune of a staggering ₹76.9 lakh. And the best part? Vedika was not just another staffer; she was someone who was entrusted with personal duties and privy to Alia’s daily life and work.

Vedika served Alia from 2021 to 2024, managing her personal finances, organizing her travel and meetings, and additionally looking after some of the backend of Alia’s production company, Eternal Sunshine Productions, which was started in 2021. She was, in a sense, a part of the close inner circle.

But from May 2022 to August 2024, according to the police, Vedika stealthily started abusing her position. She supposedly forged bills, informed Alia that they were for business travel and meetings, and obtained signatures on them. When sanctioned, the payments were made not to the suppliers, but to the bank account of a friend of Vedika’s. The money would then flow back into her account.

It was a well-hidden fraud, but one that could not remain so for eternity.

The whole thing came to light when Soni Razdan, Alia’s mother and a director-actor herself, detected some financial discrepancies and approached the Juhu Police on January 23, 2025, with the complaint. After the complaint was lodged, the police began investigating, and what they unearthed was shocking.

Vedika had allegedly been forging documents, routing money through a third party, and systematically draining funds from both Alia’s personal and production accounts, all under the pretense of work-related expenses.

What made things even more dramatic? Right after the complaint was filed, Vedika vanished.

As police began tracking her, Vedika changed cities from Rajasthan to Karnataka, then Pune, and finally Bengaluru. Each time, she managed to stay ahead of the cops, constantly moving to avoid being caught.

But after nearly five months on the run, the Juhu Police finally nabbed her in Bengaluru, bringing her back to Mumbai on a transit warrant.

Police sources confirmed they’re currently reviewing her financial records, going through her bank statements, and looking into whether anyone else may have been involved in helping her carry out the fraud.

Interestingly, Alia Bhatt has not issued a statement yet. Given how close Vedika was to her personal and professional life, it’s not hard to imagine how deeply upsetting this experience must be. When trust is broken so brutally and by someone who worked beside you daily, it’s more than just a legal matter. It hits on a human level.

Friends and fans of Alia have expressed disbelief and support, many calling it a “huge betrayal” and hoping justice is served soon. Industry insiders are also talking about how important it is to have strong financial safeguards even with people you trust implicitly.

With Vedika in custody and a full-scale investigation under way, further information should come to light over the next few weeks. Whether she was acting alone or if there were others who took part is still unknown.

But one thing’s for sure: celebrity or not, betrayal by someone you trust always hurts. For Alia, it’s a bitter reminder that even in a society with teams and assistants galore, one has to remain vigilant when it comes to money.

As fans, we wish Alia strength and hope that the issue is resolved soon. Meanwhile, the industry watches closely, and so does the public as the plot unfolds.