MUMBAI – The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband, businessman Raj Kundra. This is after a 60-year-old businessman named Deepak Kothari made a complaint against them. Kothari says that he was duped out of ₹60.48 crore in a loan and investment scheme that had to do with the couple’s business, Best Deal TV Private Limited.
The Juhu police station filed the case after the EOW did a preliminary investigation. The First Information Report (FIR) says that Kothari, who is the director of Lotus Capital Financial Services, met Kundra through a mutual friend. The couple, who owned 87.6% of the shares in the online shopping and retail platform at the time, is said to have urged Kothari to give money to help the company grow.
Accusations of theft and breaking the law of trust
Kothari’s allegation says that he gave the business ₹60.48 crore between 2015 and 2023. At first, he was solicited for the money as an investment, with the promise of a monthly return and the eventual restoration of the capital sum. But the authorities said that Kundra and Shetty used the money for their own personal purposes instead of growing their firm.
The situation worsened when Shetty departed from the organization in 2016. Later, Kothari found out that Best Deal TV was in bankruptcy because it was accused of scamming another investment.
Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra have been charged with many crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), such as Section 403 (dishonest theft of property), Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), and Section 34 (common intention). The probe is still going on.