In an alleged data theft that has raised concerns over digital security in the entertainment industry, 66 hard disks containing film-production material, edited footage, advertisement projects and unreleased content allegedly went missing from the Bandra office of filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s production house Tiger Baby Digital LLP.

Based on a complaint filed by the company’s executive assistant and HR administrator Mehjabeen Mushtaq Shaikh, Bandra police registered an FIR against Mohammad Shahid Azim Khan and Borivali resident Ritesh Suresh Shah (44). Police said both accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody till May 29.

According to investigators, Shah had allegedly purchased 24 of the stolen hard disks from Khan for Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 each. Police suspect some of the hard disks may have been sold in the grey market.

The theft came to light on May 21 after staff members were unable to locate certain hard disks required for ongoing work. A subsequent inspection of storage cabinets allegedly revealed several empty and damaged hard-disk boxes inside the office premises.

Investigators said the company maintained an inventory of 119 hard disks, of which 66 were allegedly missing. The drives, ranging from 16TB to 72TB in storage capacity, reportedly contained raw shooting footage, edited scenes, post-production material, advertisement films, archival content, backups and completed movie data linked to film and OTT productions.

Sources said some of the missing drives allegedly contained unreleased and work-in-progress content, raising concerns over possible leaks and unauthorized circulation.

During internal questioning, Khan allegedly admitted to stealing 24 hard disks over the past five months, police said. However, investigators are yet to trace the remaining missing drives.

Police are also examining whether any data was copied, transferred or leaked before the hard disks disappeared. Cyber experts may be consulted to determine whether the material was accessed externally or circulated online.

Investigators said the allegedly stolen data included footage, rough edits, scene cuts and project files linked to productions such as Made In Heaven and Ghost Stories, along with advertisement campaigns associated with beauty and digital-content companies.

Police are also probing the possible role of another office employee after suspicions were raised internally regarding access to some of the missing drives. However, officials said no conclusions have yet been reached regarding his involvement.

When contacted, complainant Mehjabeen Shaikh declined to comment on the matter.

DCP Mohit Garg confirmed the arrests. Bandra police are now trying to recover the missing hard disks and determine whether the data was duplicated, misused or circulated through any organised network.

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Mumbai: Two men were arrested on Monday over the alleged theft of 66 hard disks worth Rs 13 lakh from the Bandra office of Bollywood filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti.

Police said one of them, Mohammad Shahid Khan, had worked at the filmmakers’ office as a support staffer for the past seven years, while the other, Ritesh, purchased the stolen property from him.

Police registered an FIR on Sunday based on a statement by an executive assistant working at Akhtar and Kagti’s production house, Tiger Baby Digital LLP. There are 11 employees, four of whom are support staffers.

According to the FIR, the production house stores data of shoots from films and commercials in hard disks that are kept at the Bandra office. The complainant said she had placed all the hard disks in proper order in the office cupboard in Nov 2025. Thereafter, whenever hard disks were required, Khan was asked to fetch them.

On May 21, other employees at the production house asked Khan to fetch a particular hard disk, which he couldn’t get, according to the FIR. The complainant then checked the cupboard and discovered that some of the boxes in which hard disks had been kept were partially burnt. But neither were there hard disks in them nor was there any burn mark on the cupboard.

The other employees then performed an audit and discovered that 66 hard disks were missing, some of which contained data from films, OTT shows and commercials shot by the production house. The filmmakers were informed and the support staff was quizzed.

According to the FIR, Khan admitted to stealing 24 hard disks over the past five months and selling them to Ritesh, who is based out of Borivali. He did not admit to stealing the rest. Bandra police were then informed.

BNS charges of theft by servant of property in possession of employer and retaining or receiving stolen property have been invoked against Khan and Ritesh.

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The Bandra police arrested two men in connection with the theft of film shoot hard disks worth around Rs 13 lakh from Tiger Baby Digital LLP, the production house owned by filmmaker-producer Zoya Akhtar and screenwriter Reema Kagti.

The complainant, Mehjabeen Mushtaq Sheikh, 36, works as an executive assistant and HR admin at the company. Important film, advertisement, and shoot-related data were stored in the hard disks kept at the Bandra West office.

According to the police, on May 21, 2026, around 4.30 pm, a hard disk required for work could not be found. A check of the office cupboard revealed several hard disks were missing, while only a few burnt cardboard boxes were found inside. During verification, police discovered that 66 out of 119 hard disks were missing from the office.

Suspicion fell on two members of the company’s support staff, who were questioned by police. During interrogation, one employee allegedly confessed to stealing 25 hard disks over the past five months.

Police said the accused sold the hard disks to a Borivali resident for Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 each. CCTV footage from the company office has also been seized for investigation.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Shahid Azim Khan, an employee at the production house, and Ritesh Shah, 44, a Borivali resident who allegedly purchased the hard disks.

Senior Inspector Ravindra Salunkhe of Bandra police station said, “We have arrested both accused, including the employee who stole the hard disks from the company. Further investigation is underway.”