The couple were arrested in Mumbai on December 7 and brought to Udaipur. Two days later, a court remanded them to seven days of police custody. With the interim bail plea now rejected, they will remain in custody while the case moves ahead.
Udaipur court sends Vikram Bhat and wife to jail
Speaking to news agency ANI, Advocate Manzoor Hussain said the defence had sought interim bail citing medical reasons, but the court did not accept the request.
“The court has ordered to keep them in judicial custody. They will now be sent to the Central Jail in Udaipur,” DSP Suryaveer Singh told news agency ANI.
What is the case against Vikram Bhatt and his wife?
According to news agency PTI, Vikram Bhatt and his wife have been accused along with six others of cheating Udaipur-based doctor Ajay Murdia, founder of the Indira Group of Companies, of ₹30 crore.
“Murdia, owner of Indira IVF Hospital, wanted to make a biopic on his late wife. He has alleged that he was promised earnings of ₹200 crore. But nothing materialised, after which Murdia approached Bhopalpura police station in Udaipur, where an FIR was registered for cheating and other offences,” an official told the news agency.
An FIR was filed on November 17, accusing the couple of defrauding the Rajasthan doctor in the name of producing a biopic. The doctor also told police that fake documents were used in the deal. Udaipur police later confirmed the presence of fake documents, bills and vendors during their investigation.
Vikram Bhatt denies allegations
Earlier, when the FIR was registered, Vikram Bhatt rejected the accusations. Reacting to the case, he told NDTV that he came to know about the FIR and denied any wrongdoing.
“Yes, I found out today that Ajay Murdia, the founder of Indira IVF, has filed an FIR not just against me but against eight of us,” Bhatt said. “I have read the FIR, and in my view, it is misleading. The police have been completely misguided because the things written in the FIR are absolutely wrong.”
Bhatt also suggested that fabricated documents may have been used against him. “It’s obvious that he must have created some fabricated, forged documents.
I don’t know what exactly, but there must be something he used to convince the police,” he claimed.
For now, the filmmaker and his wife remain in judicial custody as police continue to probe the high-value biopic deal that never made it to the screen.
(Inputs from PTI, ANI)