Zoya Akhtar confirms theft of 66 hard disks at office, calls it an internal job; FIR filed, accused arrested

A shocking theft has taken place at Tiger Baby Digital LLP, the production house founded by filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. According to reports, 66 high-capacity production hard disks were allegedly stolen from the company’s office. The missing drives, ranging from 16TB to 72TB in storage capacity, reportedly contained valuable intellectual property, including master footage and backups of projects such as Made in Heaven and Ghost Stories.

Zoya Akhtar’s Tiger Baby Films hit by major data theft, office boy arrested

Following an FIR, the Bandra Police arrested support staffer Mohammad Shahid Azim Khan. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to carrying out the theft over a period of five months by systematically smuggling the hard disks out of the office. Police said he later sold the drives to a buyer in Borivali for around ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 each.

Reports further suggest that the missing drives may have contained unreleased footage from upcoming projects. Investigators are now probing whether any sensitive data from the disks was copied, leaked, or shared online before the theft came to light. Police also suspect that one of the accused had been stealing hard disks for months before selling them in the grey market.

Both accused remain in police custody until May 29.

Confirming the incident, Zoya Akhtar said that a police complaint had been filed and arrests had already been made. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, she said, “Yes, there has been a robbery in my office, hard disks have been stolen. We filed a complaint, and police have made some arrests as well.” Calling it an inside job, the filmmaker expressed disappointment over the incident, saying, “It’s an internal job. It’s sad to see the extent people go to for money.” She added that the team was relieved because backup copies of the data were safely available.

Zoya Akhtar is regarded as one of Bollywood’s most acclaimed directors, known for her stylish urban dramas and ensemble storytelling that explore friendship, family, relationships, and modern Indian society. Her notable films include Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dil Dhadakne Do, Gully Boy and Luck By Chance. She has also created acclaimed web series such as Made in Heaven and Dahaad, besides directing The Archies for Netflix. Reports suggest that she is currently working on multiple new scripts, developing the second season of Dahaad, and preparing a new project titled “A Perfect Match.”

A sequel to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is also reportedly in development.