A case of data theft has sent shockwaves through Mumbai’s entertainment industry as 66 hard drives containing sensitive and potentially unreleased film and web series content have gone missing from the Bandra West office of Tiger Baby Digital LLP, a duo run by renowned filmmakers. Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. One suspect has been arrested while another remains at large, and investigators fear a wider criminal network may be involved.
What was stolen from Zoya Akhtar’s office, and what is it for?
According to the IANS report, the missing hard drives contained a wide range of digital production materials, including raw footage, editing timelines, post-production backups, commercial content and archives of unreleased projects. The devices have been valued between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 13 lakh. However, industry insiders warn that if any of the unpublished content stored on these drives finds its way online, the actual financial and reputational damage could run into the millions. The stolen devices were high-capacity storage units ranging from 16TB to 72TB, the type of infrastructure used by major production houses for movies, OTT projects and commercial shoots. The company’s internal audits revealed that 66 of the 119 hard drives stored in the office are currently missing.
Projects where data may be at risk
Sources revealed that the missing albums contained production material related to several high-profile projects, including ‘Made in Heaven’, ‘Ghost Stories’, Nykaa campaigns and ‘Gandhi Money’. Investigators are now investigating whether unpublished content from any of these projects has been accessed, copied, sold or illegally distributed.The case first came to light on May 21, when employees at the production house’s Bandra West office were unable to locate certain hard drives needed for ongoing work. A thorough examination of the storage area revealed that several devices were missing. In their place, workers reportedly found empty and partially damaged boxes inside storage cabinets, a discovery that immediately raised red flags.Crucially, police found no forced entry, fire or external damage to the office, and the company launched an internal investigation. Subsequently, the company’s executive assistant and HR administrator Mehjabeen Mushtaq Sheikh filed a formal complaint, following which the Bandra Police registered an FIR and launched a full investigation.
Office boy arrested; Borivali middleman is on the run
The main accused, Mohammad Shahid Azim Khan, worked as an office boy at Tiger Baby Digital and was allegedly responsible for handling and storing hard drives for several years. During questioning, Shahid admitted that he had stolen several hard drives in the last five months and sold 24 of them to a Borivali-based man named Ritesh for Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. Ritesh is currently absconding and police teams are actively searching for him.Shahid reported that he was unable to explain the whereabouts of the other missing drives, leading investigators to suspect that more people involved in digital data theft may be part of a wider organized network.Police are also looking into the possible role of another employee, Kalpesh Pawar, although investigators have clarified that no conclusions have been drawn about his involvement and that the investigation is ongoing.The incident has thrown a harsh spotlight on the state of digital security in the Indian entertainment industry.
