Mumbai: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra have been booked by the Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) over an alleged fraud of ₹60 crore, following a complaint filed by a Mumbai-based businessman.
According to the FIR, businessman Deepak Kothari accused the couple of taking ₹60.48 crore between 2015 and 2023 for the expansion of their business venture Best Deal TV Private Limited, but allegedly diverting the funds for personal expenses instead.
Kothari’s complaint states that he first came into contact with the couple through an agent, Rajesh Arya, in 2015. At that time, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra were directors of Best Deal TV, an online shopping platform, with Shetty reportedly holding more than 87% of the company’s shares.
Arya allegedly requested a loan of ₹75 crore for the company at an annual interest rate of 12%, but suggested an “investment” route to avoid high interest charges, assuring Kothari that the funds would be repaid on time.
Kothari claims that he transferred the first instalment of ₹31.95 crore in April 2015. Later, tax-related complications arose, prompting another deal in September 2015. Between January 2015 and March 2016, Kothari alleges he transferred an additional ₹28.54 crore, bringing the total amount to ₹60.48 crore, along with ₹3.19 lakh in stamp duty.
He also claimed that Shilpa Shetty personally guaranteed repayment in April 2016, but resigned as a director by September that year. Shortly after, a bankruptcy case of ₹1.28 crore emerged against Best Deal TV, which Kothari says he was never informed about. Despite repeated follow-ups, no repayment was made.
Following these developments, Kothari lodged a formal complaint at the Juhu Police Station, leading to the registration of a fraud case against the couple. The EOW has now taken over the investigation and is examining the transactions and documents linked to the alleged scam.
