Zoya Akhtar production house theft: Hard disks worth Rs.13 lakh stolen and staff arrested

Dubai: Filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's production company Tiger Baby Digital has reportedly been hit by a major data theft case after 66 hard disks containing sensitive film and OTT-related material went missing from their Mumbai office. According to multiple reports, the stolen storage devices are collectively estimated to be worth nearly Rs.13 lakh.

The alleged theft came to light after employees at the Bandra West office were unable to locate a hard disk needed for routine work. A closer inspection of the storage cabinets reportedly revealed that several original drives had been replaced with empty or damaged boxes, immediately raising suspicion within the company. 

A complaint was subsequently filed by the company’s executive assistant and HR administrator with the Bandra police. Investigators later arrested a staff member who was reportedly responsible for handling and safeguarding the disks. Police believe the accused had access to the storage units for an extended period and allegedly removed the drives over several months. 

Reports state that the missing hard disks ranged between 16TB and 72TB in capacity and allegedly contained raw footage, edited material, post-production backups, archival files, advertisement projects, and unreleased content tied to several film and streaming productions under Tiger Baby’s banner. Some reports have linked the stolen data to projects including the acclaimed series Made in Heaven and segments from Ghost Stories. 

As per India Today, investigators claim the accused allegedly offloaded the stolen hard drives to Ritesh Suresh Shah, a 44-year-old stationery shop employee from Borivali, with each device reportedly sold for around ₹15,000–₹20,000.

Police suspect the thefts were carried out in phases, with nearly two dozen disks believed to have been taken over the course of five months. Early estimates also suggest the production company may have lost over 100 hard drives in total during this period. 

Authorities are still trying to trace the remaining drives and determine whether any confidential footage has already been copied, circulated, or leaked online. 

Two individuals have reportedly been booked in connection with the case, while investigators continue to probe whether additional employees may have been involved.