Shilpa Shetty-Raj Kundra accused of Rs 1.51 crore fraud; issue statement

Mumbai, Nov 14: There seems to be no respite for businessman Raj Kundra and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty as now they have been slammed with a cheating and forgery complaint. A Mumbai-based businessman Nitin Brai has lodged a case against Kundra's for allegedly duping him of Rs 1.51 crore.

However, reacting to reports of fraud, cheating Shilpa Shetty has issued a statement. "Woke up to an FIR registered in Raj and my name! Shocked!! To set the record straight, SFL Fitness, a venture run by Kashiff Khan. He had taken naming rights of brand SFL to open SFL Fitness gyms around the country. All deals were struck by him and he was signatory in banking and day-to-day affairs. We are not aware of any of his transactions nor have we received a single rupee from him for the same. All the franchisee's dealth directly with Kashiff. The company closed in 2014 and was entirely handled by Kashiff Khan," Shilpa Shetty tweeted.

"I have worked very hard over the last 28 years and it pains me to see that my name and reputation is getting damaged and dragged so loosely to get eyeballs. My rights as a law abiding proud citizen in India should be protected. With gratitude, Shilpa Shetty Kundra," she added.

The complainant alleged that in July 2014, Kaashif Khan, the director of SFL Fitness company, along with Shetty, Kundra and others asked him to invest Rs 1.51 crore into the enterprise to earn a profit.

The complainant claimed he was assured that the SFL Fitness company will provide him a franchise and open a gym and spa at Hadapsar and Koregaon in neighbouring Pune, but it did not materialise, as per the FIR.

Later, when the complainant sought his money back, he was allegedly threatened, the police official said quoting the complaint.

The Bandra police registered the FIR under various Indian Penal Code Sections, including 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention).