Mumbai Film Industry in Turmoil: 66 Hard Drives with Confidential Data Go Missing!

Major Data Breach Shakes Mumbai's Film Industry

A troubling incident has emerged in Mumbai's film industry as 66 hard drives containing sensitive information about movies and web series have reportedly vanished from the offices of Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's production company, Tiger Baby Digital LLP. According to police reports, these missing drives held essential digital content, including films, web series, advertisements, raw footage, edited materials, post-production backups, and archives of unreleased projects. The estimated value of the lost data and storage devices is around Rs 12 to 13 lakh, but experts fear that the actual financial impact could soar into crores if any unreleased content is leaked online.

Arrest Made: Employee Confesses to Theft

Office Employee Arrested, Confesses to Selling Hard Drives

The situation came to light after a complaint was filed at Bandra Police Station. Authorities have registered an FIR against two suspects, identified as Mohammad Shahid Azim Khan and another individual named Ritesh. Shahid has been arrested, while police are actively searching for the second suspect. During questioning, Shahid, who worked as an office assistant responsible for managing the hard drives, allegedly confessed to stealing several drives over the past five months.

Sources from the police revealed that he admitted to selling 24 hard drives to a Borivali-based individual named Ritesh for approximately Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 each. However, he has not provided a clear account of the remaining missing drives, raising suspicions that more individuals may be involved in the theft.

Theft Discovered During Internal Review

Theft Uncovered During Internal Review

The incident was uncovered on May 21 when employees at the Bandra West office were looking for specific hard drives needed for their work. Upon discovering their absence, staff members checked the storage cabinets and found several drives missing. Instead of the original devices, they found empty and partially damaged boxes. There were no signs of fire or external damage, prompting the company to launch an internal investigation.

Following a complaint from the company’s Executive Assistant and HR Admin, Mehjabeen Mushtaq Sheikh, police began their inquiry into the matter.

Critical Data Related to Major Projects Missing

Data Related To Significant Projects Missing

Sources indicate that the stolen hard drives contained crucial production materials for several major projects, including raw footage, editing timelines, backup files, and production archives. Some of the notable projects affected include Made In Heaven, Ghost Stories, Nykaa campaigns, and Gandhi Money. Investigators are also looking into the possibility that some unreleased content may have been compromised.

66 Hard Drives Unaccounted For

66 Out Of 119 Hard Drives Unaccounted For

Internal audits have revealed that the production house had a total of 119 hard drives in storage, with 66 currently unaccounted for. These high-capacity devices, ranging from 16TB to 72TB, were used to store significant amounts of digital production data related to films, OTT projects, and commercial shoots.

Further Investigations Underway

Another Employee Under Investigation

Authorities are also investigating the potential involvement of another staff member, Kalpesh Pawar. While there are suspicions regarding his connection to some of the missing drives, investigators have not yet drawn any conclusions, and the investigation is ongoing.

Concerns Over Digital Security in the Film Industry

Film Industry Alarmed Over Data Security

This incident has raised serious concerns about digital security within the entertainment industry. As most film and OTT projects now rely heavily on digital storage and cloud-based workflows, any leak of unreleased footage or confidential project files could lead to significant financial consequences. Bandra Police are currently working to recover the remaining hard drives and determine whether the stolen data was accessed, copied, sold, or leaked. Investigators are also exploring the possibility of a larger network involved in digital data theft connected to this case.