Udaipur, Dec 17 (V7N) — Bollywood director Vikram Bhatt and his wife Shwetambari Bhatt have been sent to judicial custody in connection with a ₹30 crore fraud case, a court in Udaipur ruled on Tuesday.

The couple had applied for interim bail on medical grounds, but the court rejected the request and ordered them to be taken to jail after completing seven days of police custody.

The Bhatt couple was initially arrested by Rajasthan Police in Mumbai on December 7 and brought to Udaipur late that night. When presented before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, the court granted police custody for seven days.

The case involves Vikram Bhatt, Shwetambari, and six others, who are accused of cheating Dr. Ajay Murdia, founder of the Indira Group of Companies, of approximately ₹30 crore. According to police sources, Dr. Murdia had planned a biopic on his late wife, and the accused allegedly promised him an income of around ₹200 crore from the film. The promised returns were never realized, leading Dr. Murdia to file a complaint with Bhopalpura Police Station in Udaipur.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered under cheating and related sections, and the investigation is ongoing.

END/SMA/AJ