Shilpa Shetty’s legal team has denied that an Income Tax raid took place at her residence, as currently her husband Raj Kundra and she are being investigated in a case of alleged 60 crore fraud. The clarification comes amid increased public attention to the probe by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police.
On Thursday, Prashant Patil, Shilpa Shetty‘s lawyer, refuted the news of an enforcement action at the star’s place. According to him, the officials from the tax department merely undertook a routine verification and he explained this as a standard follow-up and not as a raid. He pointed out that tying this verification to the fraud case was not only misleading but also quite an irresponsible act.
Patil also warned that if any people spreading such false information about an Income Tax raid were to face legal action, as he indicated that such incidents do not take place and that they only fuel speculation unnecessarily around the case.
More Details
The idea of a possible raid was circulating just when the Bengaluru police had registered cases against two pubs for allegedly extending their hours of operation, one of which was Bastian Garden City, a business jointly owned by Shilpa Shetty. Following an altercation at night, the pub was checked for regulatory compliance. After that, netizens started to report these incidents as being related to the fraud investigation, which subsequently led to a heap of misunderstandings.
The case concerning a fraudulent scheme of 60 crores originated from the filing of a complaint by Deepak Kothari, a director of Lotus Capital Financial Services Ltd. Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra, he alleges, tricked him through a loan-cum-investment deal. Based on this complaint, EOW has registered a first information report against the couple earlier this week.
The couple was initially accused of criminal breach of trust in the FIR only, but later on, after filing a preliminary inquiry report, cheating-related charges were also added. Law enforcement officers have confirmed that they have taken statements from Shilpa and Raj during the investigation.
Also Read: Avatar: Fire and Ash Review: Takes You On A Repeated Ride That Fails To Evoke Emotions
Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra’s Statements
In public, Raj Kundra rejected these accusations and said that the case is being twisted and that the matter is being given a criminal angle without any basis. A petition to have the FIR quashed has been filed in the High Court, and he is optimistic about the judicial proceedings, he has said.
Shilpa Shetty, similarly, has cleared her name of the charges. She explained that her link with the questioned company was only as a partner and non-operational, and that she was not involved in financial decision-making. Along with that, the actress asked about the fairness of her name being repeatedly brought up in connection with this case and said that it is not only hurting her but also damaging her goodwill.