Major twist in ₹60 crore fraud — former staff of Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra’s company under probe

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A new update has emerged in the case of actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra, accused of defrauding a businessman of ₹60 crore. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has issued summons to four former employees of the actress's company for questioning. The statement of one of the four has been recorded.

Summons have been sent to four employees of Best Deal Private Limited. An Economic Offences Branch official stated that one employee has appeared before the branch and his statement has been recorded, while three others are yet to appear. They will also be questioned and their statements recorded. These four employees previously worked at the company.

The senior official said that the team is investigating whether Raj Kundra's company really had so many orders from customers that to fulfill them, Raj Kundra had to take a loan of Rs 60 crore from a businessman and to save tax, the loan was shown as an investment.

The team will also question product suppliers and advertising companies associated with the company. If anything suspicious comes up during the investigation, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra will be questioned again.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) questioned the employee about the company. The wing is trying to determine how the company's employees are paid. Was the salary portion paid from the company's revenue, or was the salary money sourced elsewhere? Was ₹20 crore (200 million rupees) spent on office furnishings?

The investigation branch will also question the companies that furnished the offices. Shilpa Shetty had previously sought permission from the court to travel abroad, but the court rejected her plea, stating that she should first pay the fraudulent amount and then proceed to her destination.