Actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra have been booked in a cheating case for allegedly defrauding a Mumbai-based businessman of more than ₹60 crore. The alleged fraud is linked to their now-defunct firm, Best Deal TV Pvt. Ltd., which once operated as a home shopping and online retail platform.

The case was filed by businessman Deepak Kothari, director of Lotus Capital Financial Services, who claimed the couple conspired to cheat him between 2015 and 2023. According to the complaint, Kothari was introduced to Shetty and Kundra by a mediator, Rajesh Arya, at a time when the couple held 87.6% shares in Best Deal TV.

Kothari alleged that the Bollywood couple initially requested a loan of ₹75 crore at 12% interest. Later, they allegedly persuaded him to route the money as an “investment” to avoid higher taxation, assuring monthly returns and full repayment of the principal.

Acting on these assurances, Kothari transferred ₹31.95 crore in April 2015 under a share subscription agreement, followed by another ₹28.53 crore in September 2015 under a supplementary agreement. The total ₹60.48 crore was reportedly credited to Best Deal TV’s HDFC Bank accounts.

However, Shetty resigned as a director in September 2016. A year later, insolvency proceedings were initiated against the company for defaulting on another agreement. Kothari claimed repeated attempts to recover his money through Arya failed, prompting him to file a complaint alleging that Shetty and Kundra “dishonestly used” his funds for personal gain.

Given the amount involved exceeds ₹10 crore, the investigation has been handed over to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

Ongoing Legal Woes for the Couple
This development adds to the couple’s growing legal troubles. Earlier this year, they faced allegations of defrauding an investor in a gold scheme. That complaint was filed by Prithviraj Kothari, managing director of Riddhi Siddhi Bullions.

Raj Kundra, who was arrested in 2021 in an adult content case and later granted bail, is also under investigation in a separate money laundering case linked to Bitcoin fraud.