Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty called out 'baseless' reports of being charged with cheating in Rs 60 crore fraud case. For those unversed, earlier on Tuesday (December 17), it was reported that the Economic
Offences Wing (EOW) registered a case against Shilpa and her actor-businessman-husband Raj Kundra under the charge of cheating, Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.
Taking to her Instagram story, Shilpa stated, "We categorically deny the baseless and motivated allegations being circulated. The issues sought to be raised are being given a criminal colour without any lawful basis. A Quashing Petition has already been filed before the Hon'ble High Court and is pending adjudication."
Her official statement further read, "Having fully cooperated with the investigation, we are sanguine that justice will prevail and have complete faith in the law enforcement authorities and the judicial system of our country. We respectfully urge the media to exercise restraint as the matter is sub judice."
Earlier, reports stated that based on the submission made by the complainant’s lawyers, the EOW found sufficient material during its investigation to justify the addition of the new charge. With this development, the scope of the probe into the alleged fraud case is expected to widen further.
The statement also noted that the complainant intends to approach the Enforcement Directorate to identify, trace, and seize the funds allegedly involved in the offence, in accordance with the law. Additionally, the complainant will seek the attachment of assets under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
About the fraud case
The case was registered in Mumbai on August 14 against Shilpa and Raj, who were directors of the now-defunct Best Deal TV Private Limited, a home shopping and online retail platform. They are accused of allegedly cheating businessman Deepak Kothari of nearly Rs 60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal.
According to Kothari, between 2015 and 2023, the couple persuaded him to invest Rs 60 crore in Best Deal TV Private Limited. He alleged that instead of being used for business purposes, the funds were diverted for their personal benefit.
During the course of the investigation, Raj claimed that a portion of the Rs 60 crore was paid as professional fees to actresses Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia.
Earlier, in October, Raj had stated that his company dealt in electrical and household appliances and began incurring heavy losses following the Centre’s demonetisation move in 2016. He claimed that the resulting financial crisis prevented the company from repaying the borrowed funds.
