Fraud case: Bombay HC asks Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra to deposit Rs 60 cr before foreign travel

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra have been asked by the Bombay High Court to deposit Rs 60 crore if they plan to travel to foreign destinations. The court’s order came on Wednesday (October 8) as it heard the celebrity duo’s plea to quash a Look Out Circular (LOC) brought against them in a fraud case worth Rs 60 crore.

The accused couple had approached the high court after the LOC barred them from leaving the Indian shores, arguing that the case was premised on false allegations. Their plea came up for hearing on October 1 before a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad that asked the concerned officials to submit their response affidavits.

Also read: Bombay HC rejects Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra's plea to travel abroad

The court in its latest order said the petitioners must deposit an amount equivalent to Rs 60 crore, the alleged fraud amount, before being allowed to leave the country. The matter would be given a hearing following compliance with the order.

Some of the foreign destinations that the couple reportedly had in their travel itinerary are the US and Thailand, among others.

Also read: Mumbai Police book Shilpa Shetty, husband Raj Kundra in Rs 60 Cr fraud case

On Tuesday (October 7), Shetty told officers from the Mumbai Police that she was not engaged in managing the affairs of the company she co-founded with her husband, in connection with the cheating case, an official source said.

EOW questions Shetty, records statements

Last week, an Economic Offences Wing (EOW) team visited the actor’s residence for a four-hour-long interrogation session during which her statement was also recorded, the source added.

Also read: Shilpa Shetty's restaurant, Bastian Bandra, to shut down — will there be a new beginning?

Shetty said that she had no active role to play in the operations of Best Deal TV Private Limited, which now stands liquidated, and that she had little idea about the alleged financial irregularities that are being probed.

The couple have been accused by businessman Deepak Kothari, according to whom they persuaded him to invest Rs 60 core in their now-defunct firm but used it personally. Kundra has already been questioned by EOW officials in connection with the case.