Actor Sandeepa Virk Recalls Spending Four Months In Tihar Jail: 'Film Industry Unfollowed Me, I Prayed For Death'

New Delhi:

Actor and influencer Sandeepa Virk recently opened up about her time inside Tihar Jail after being granted bail by the Delhi High Court in December 2025 in a money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

What's Happening

• In a recent conversation with Simran Jot Makkar, Virk spoke at length about her experience in prison. 
• She said, "Tihar is a place I wouldn't wish even on my worst enemy. When I went there for the first time, I told God that I don't deserve this. On the first day, when I went to the washroom, I thought - people say everything is karma, maybe I made some mistakes in a past life, knowingly or unknowingly. I felt - I don't deserve this."
• Describing the emotional toll, she said, "I used to pray that death should come and take me away. The worst feeling is when you see your parents coming to meet you while you're inside jail. I even apologised to them for having to come there because of me. My parents and siblings stood by me because your own people know who you are."
• Virk also detailed the physical and mental strain she faced during her incarceration. 
• She said, "Inside Tihar, imagine living with 500 people, it's like domestic politics. My health deteriorated badly. I couldn't even stand without support because of stress. Even today, when I think about it, I cry - why me?"
• Speaking about the daily routine and living conditions, she shared, "The washrooms are filthy. You sleep on the floor. They open the barracks at 6 am, shut them at 12, open again at 3 pm and close by 6 pm. The food is terrible - the same dal, same sabzi, four rotis and rice every day. You don't feel like eating anything."
• On interactions inside the prison, Virk stated, "Some policewomen are kind, others vent their frustration on inmates."
• She also addressed the stigma she felt after news of her arrest became public. 
• She said, "When my news came out, people would say, she has done fraud. I would think, those accused of murder are being treated kindly, and I am being called a fraud for something I didn't do."
• When asked about allegations of money being used inside jail to get work done, she responded, "In jail, nothing happens without money. I don't want to say much, but if you have money, your work gets done. If you don't, you just sit there."
• After being released on bail, Virk said she extended help to two women she had met in jail who lacked legal support. "One woman had been inside for four months for allegedly stealing Rs 3,000. Her mother was blind, and her father was bedridden. I had promised her I would help her get out - and I did."
• She added, "There was another woman who got trapped because of her husband. He had taken money from people through share market dealings and had transferred Rs 17 lakh into her account. She had already spent six months inside. About a month after I came out, I helped her get an interim bail."

Background

Sandeepa Virk spent over four months in custody in connection with alleged proceeds of crime amounting to approximately Rs 6 crore. 

The case is linked to an investment scam in which a complainant was allegedly promised a lead role in a film and induced to invest the money. 

The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that the funds were routed through her accounts and were connected to property purchases and a purported e-commerce platform.

The Delhi High Court granted Virk bail on December 27, 2025, noting that she had already been in custody for over four months and that the trial was unlikely to proceed soon because the main accused, Amit Gupta, is absconding. 

The court granted relief under ordinary bail principles and observed that the alleged transactions date back to the period between 2008 and 2013.

Virk has since returned to Mumbai. 

Reflecting on the reaction from the industry, she said, "They unfollowed me, it doesn't matter. Earlier too, some big producers would say, 'Sandeepa, I can make you this or that.' I used to reply - the One who made you will make me too. No human can make someone. At best, they can help."