Shilpa Shetty Breaks Silence On Fraud Allegations In ₹60 Crore Cheating Case: Mischievous Attempt To Impute Criminal Liability On Me

Shilpa Shetty has finally broken her silence on being accused of defrauding ₹60 crore from a businessman. On Friday, she penned an official statement narrating her side of the story and revealed that her family extended a ₹20 crore loan to the company Best Deal TV Pvt. Ltd, which remains unpaid. Her association with the company was strictly in a non-executive capacity. Just like other public figures, she endorsed certain products for the home shopping channel. She also invoked a verse from the Bhagavad Gita towards the end of her statement and requested the media to be mindful while breaking the news.

Shilpa Shetty issues a statement on being accused of defrauding a businessman

"I am deeply saddened by the baseless attempt to link my name to this matter. My association with the company was strictly in a non-executive capacity, with no role in its operations, finances, decision-making or any signing authority. In fact, like several other public figures, I had endorsed certain products for the home shopping channel, in a professional capacity, for which payments due to me remain outstanding."

"I want to put it on record that almost  20 crore rupees have been loaned to the company by us as a family, and the said amount remains unpaid. The mischievous attempt to impute criminal liability on me, particularly after an unexplained delay of nearly nine years, is legally unsustainable and contrary to settled principles of law," she continued.

She added, "Despite these facts, my name continues to be unnecessarily dragged into the proceedings, which is both distressing and unjustified. Such unwarranted allegations not only misrepresent facts but also result in a woman’s dignity, integrity, and reputation being unfairly trampled upon in the public domain."

"As quoted in the Bhagavad Gita, “failing to oppose injustice when it is your duty, is itself adharma.” With a quashing petition already filed before the Honourable Bombay High Court, I have complete faith in the judicial process and will be seeking appropriate legal remedies to protect my rights and reputation," she said.

She concluded by requesting, "I respectfully request the media to take note of these facts and report responsibly by verifying the truthfulness of facts."

About the ₹60 crore fraud case

Months ago, the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Shilpa and her husband, Raj Kundra, based on a complaint by businessman Deepak Kothari, who was allegedly duped by the couple in a loan-cum-investment deal. A case was registered against Raj and Shilpa, who were directors of now-defunct Best Deal TV Private Limited, a home shopping and online retail platform, in Mumbai on August 14 for allegedly duping Kothari of nearly ₹60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal between 2015 and 2023.

The investigation has been ongoing in the fraud case, and while speaking to the authorities, Raj has claimed that a portion of ₹60 crore was paid as fees to actors Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia.

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