Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra has released a statement following a cheating complaint filed against her and her husband, Raj Kundra, by a businessman who had accused the duo and SFL Fitness PVT ltd director Kashiff Khan of cheating and criminal intimidation. The businessman demanded Rs 1.51 crore in reparations.
The actor released her statement on Twitter and presented her side of the story. “Woke up to an FIR registered in Raj and my name! Shocked! To set the record straight, SFL Fitness is a venture run by Kashiff Khan. He had taken naming rights of brand SFL to open SFL gyms around the country. All deals were struck by him and he was a signatory in banking and day to day affairs. We are not aware of any of his transactions and nor have we received a rupee from him for the same. All franchisees dealt directly with Kashiff,” the actor said.
— SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA (@TheShilpaShetty) November 14, 2021
She further added that the company was shuttered in 2014 and was entirely handled by Kashiff Khan. Shilpa said she had worked very hard over the past 24 years and it pains her to see her name and reputation being dragged and tarnished to get “eyeballs”. Lamenting that she is just being unfairly targeted, Shilpa appealed that her rights as a law-abiding citizen in India should be protected.
According to the reports, a businessman named Nitin Barai had alleged that in July 2014, Kashiff Khan, Shilpa Shetty, and Raj Kundra, along with a few others, asked him to invest Rs 1.51 crores into SFL Fitness company to earn a profit.
He claimed that he was assured that the SFL Fitness company will provide him with a franchise to open a gym and spa centre in Pune but things did not materialise. Later, when the complaint sought his money back, he was allegedly threatened, the complaint says.
Based on 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), he said, adding that an investigation into the case was underway.
This is not the first time that Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra have found themselves in hot water. Earlier this year, in July 2021, Raj Kundra was arrested in connection with a case related to the creation and publishing of pornographic material over mobile apps. He was released on bail in September 2021.
