Mumbai: In a shocking case of betrayal and fraud, Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt’s former personal secretary, Vedika Shetty, has been arrested by Juhu Police from Bengaluru for allegedly embezzling ₹76.90 lakh from the actress’s production company and personal accounts.

According to the police, Vedika Shetty (32), a resident of Marol in Andheri East, worked as a personal secretary and administrative consultant to Alia Bhatt and her mother Soni Razdan—both directors at Eternal Sunshine Productions Pvt. Ltd. Shetty was responsible for managing schedules, travel, staff coordination, preparing cheques, and handling confidential scripts and contracts. She drew a monthly salary of ₹40,000.

Between May 2022 and August 2024, Shetty reportedly accessed sensitive documents and personal information, including production schedules and travel plans, and shared them with unknown third parties. She also created fake bills, passed them off as legitimate, and used them to prepare cheques. These were then transferred to different accounts and ultimately siphoned into her own.

A total of ₹76.90 lakh was misappropriated using this method. The fraud came to light when Bhatt’s mother, Soni Razdan, filed a complaint with Juhu Police in January 2025. An FIR was registered under Sections 318(4) and 316(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the new criminal code.

After the FIR, Shetty initially fled to her native Mangaluru and later stayed in Rajasthan. She applied for anticipatory bail in the Bombay High Court, which was rejected. Eventually, she went into hiding at her sister’s residence in Bengaluru, where she was arrested on Tuesday following sustained efforts by the police.

Investigations revealed that Shetty transferred funds to at least five different bank accounts. During interrogation, she admitted to using the embezzled money to purchase high-end items such as iPhones, iPads, and also spending significantly on lavish parties. Most of the stolen money has not yet been recovered. Her bank accounts and credit/debit card statements are being analyzed to trace her expenditure.

Back in October 2022, Shetty was caught misusing gift cards and promotional items meant for the company. She had then confessed, apologized, and was let off with a warning by Alia Bhatt and the company, considering her age. However, she repeated the offense on a much larger scale, leading to her arrest. Further investigations are underway to ascertain if others were involved and to recover the stolen funds.