Police Add Cheating Charges In Rs 60 Crore Case Against Shilpa Shetty And Raj Kundra

Businessman Raj Kundra and his wife, actress Shilpa Shetty, who are being investigated by Mumbai police in a Rs 60 crore criminal breach of trust case, have now also been charged with cheating, officials said on Wednesday. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the police, which is handling the case, has added cheating charges to the criminal breach of trust charges against the high-profile couple.

An official said that the case was originally registered under section 406 of the IPC (criminal breach of trust) against the couple, and after investigation, section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) has been added. They were charged under the IPC because the case was filed before the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) came into

effect on July 1, 2024.

If convicted, cheating under the IPC can lead to up to seven years in jail plus a fine. The case was filed based on a complaint by Deepak Kothari, a 60-year-old businessman from Juhu, Mumbai, who claimed he was cheated out of Rs 60.4 crore in a loan and investment deal related to the now-closed company Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, where Kundra and Shetty were directors. The EOW has already recorded statements from Kundra and Shetty about the case.

Meanwhile, Kundra denied the allegations against him and his wife on his verified X account, calling them baseless. He said, “We categorically deny the baseless and motivated allegations being circulated. The issues raised are being given a criminal angle without any legal basis.” He added, “A petition to quash the case has already been filed in the High Court and is pending. We have fully cooperated with the investigation and are confident that justice will be served. We have complete faith in law enforcement and the Indian judiciary. We respectfully ask the media to show restraint as the matter is still in court.”