Vikram Bhatt's film hard disks sold by staff, probe underway
What's the story
Two employees from director Vikram Bhatt's production house, VSB Production LLP, have been accused of misusing and selling company hard disks containing raw movie footage, reported Free Press Journal. The accused, Jitendra Sharma and Rakesh Pranigrahi, allegedly sold up to 10 hard disks for ₹5K-6K each on Pranigrahi's orders. The complaint was filed by production manager Nasir Khan on October 10.
Investigation update
Accused haven't reported to work since September
Both Sharma and Pranigrahi have reportedly not reported to work since the sales were discovered in September 2025. They also haven't returned company phones. Police are searching for the two and trying to recover the stolen material as Bhatt and his team deal with this serious breach of trust. A case has been registered against Pranigrahi and Sharma under Sections 316 (4) (criminal breach of trust) and 3 (5) (general explanation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Discovery details
Missing hard disks were 1st noticed in March
The missing hard disks were first noticed by Bhatt and his wife, Shwetambri Bhatt, in March 2025. The director suspected Pranigrahi, who manages company accounts, and asked Khan to monitor office operations. Khan's investigation subsequently revealed that Sharma had the missing disks. Staff members had previously accessed the disks with Pranigrahi's approval, but recently, Sharma began providing excuses to withhold them.
Confession details
Staff questioned Sharma, he admitted to selling the disks
On September 13, when executive assistant Mohit Kumar questioned Sharma, he reportedly confessed to selling the disks to a person named Ashok Krush on Pranigrahi's orders. Each disk was allegedly sold for ₹5K-6K, with half of the proceeds going to Pranigrahi. After the disks were sold, Sharma stopped reporting to work and switched off his phone. Pranigrahi also reportedly stopped attending office and failed to return the company-owned mobile phones.
Career highlights
More on Bhatt and his filmography
Bhatt is known for his work in the horror and mainstream genres. He has directed the Raaz film series, a popular horror franchise produced by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, and the 1998 Hindi drama Ghulam starring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji. His work on both these films earned him nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.