Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has dismissed ‘baseless’ reports in the Rs 60 crore fraud case. On Tuesday, December 16, news came that the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) has registered a case against Shilpa and her husband Raj Kundra under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code on charges of fraud. Shilpa has shared a post regarding this.
Shilpa issued a statement
Shilpa Shetty wrote on her Instagram story, ‘We clearly reject the baseless and motivated allegations being circulated. The issues being raised are being given a criminal color without any legal basis. A petition to quash the case has already been filed before the Honorable High Court and is under consideration.
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In her official statement, Shilpa further wrote, ‘After fully cooperating in the investigation, we are confident that justice will be done and we have full faith in the law enforcement officers and judicial system of our country. We respectfully request the media to exercise restraint as the matter is under judicial consideration.
What is the whole matter?
Reports said that based on the documents submitted by the complainant’s lawyers, the EOW found enough material during its investigation to add new charges. With this development, the scope of investigation into the alleged fraud case is expected to expand further. The statement also said that the complainant intends to approach the Enforcement Directorate as per law for identification, tracing and seizure of the funds alleged to be involved in the crime. Apart from this, the complainant will demand attachment of properties under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case was registered in Mumbai on August 14 against Shilpa and Raj, who were directors of the now defunct Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd. It was a home shopping and online retail platform. The couple is accused of defrauding businessman Deepak Kothari of around Rs 60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal.
According to Kothari, Shilpa and Raj convinced him to invest Rs 60 crore in Best Deal TV Private Limited between 2015 and 2023. He alleges that instead of being used for business purposes, the funds were diverted for his personal benefit. During the investigation, Raj Kundra claimed that a part of Rs 60 crore was given to actresses Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia as professional fees.
Earlier in October, Raj Kundra had said that his company dealt in electrical and home appliances. After the demonetization of the Center in 2016, they had to suffer huge losses. His claim was that due to the resulting financial crisis the company could not return the borrowed funds.
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