Actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra have been booked by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for allegedly cheating Mumbai businessman Deepak Kothari of ₹60.4 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal involving their defunct company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd.
According to Kothari, he was introduced to the couple in 2015 by Rajesh Arya, who sought a ₹75 crore loan for the company at 12% annual interest, but suggested showing it as an “investment” to reduce tax liability. Believing the proposal, Kothari transferred ₹31.95 crore in April 2015 and another ₹28.54 crore between July 2015 and March 2016, besides paying ₹3.19 lakh in stamp duty — totalling over ₹60.48 crore.
Kothari alleges that the funds meant for business expansion were instead diverted for personal use. Soon after the deal, Shetty resigned as company director, and an insolvency case of ₹1.28 crore emerged against the firm — something Kothari claims he was never told. Despite repeated demands, his money was never returned.
The EOW, citing the high-value fraud, has taken over the probe and also booked an unidentified third accused in the case.
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