Shilpa Shetty has broken her silence after the shocking income tax raid in her Mumbai residence.
After she and her husband, Raj Kundra, were dragged into a ₹60 crore fraud case by businessman Deepak Kothari earlier this week, the Baazigar actress faced another setback as a complaint was filed against her Bengaluru restaurant, Bastian.
In the series of back-to-back blows, Shetty was hit with one more shock when the Income Tax Department launched a raid at her home in the Maharashtrian city over suspicion of tax evasion, reported the Hindustan Times.
Following the raid, the Dhadkan starlet broke her silence in an official statement, seeking protection for her “rights and reputation.”
In her statement, Shilpa Shetty addressed the ₹60 crore cheating case, noting, “I am deeply saddened by the baseless attempt to link my name to this matter. My association with the company was strictly in a non-executive capacity, with no role in its operations, finances, decision making or any signing authority.”
“In fact like several other public figures I had endorsed certain products for the home shopping channel, in a professional capacity, for which payments due to me remain outstanding,” she continued.
The Main Khiladi Tu Anari actress also shared that her family had loaned nearly ₹20 crore to the company, which are still unpaid, adding that attempts to hold her criminally liable, especially after a nine-year delay, are legally “unsustainable and contrary to settled principles of law.”
Shetty went on to express that, despite the facts, her name is still being unnecessarily dragged in the case, which is both distressing and unfair.
She noted that these allegations misrepresent the truth and damage her dignity, integrity, and public reputation.
“As quoted in the Bhagavad Gita, ‘Failing to oppose injustice when it is your duty, is itself Adharma,’” she added.
Seeking protection of her rights, the actress penned, “With a quashing petition already filed before the Honourable Bombay High Court, I have complete faith in the judicial process and will be seeking appropriate legal remedies to protect my rights and reputation.”
For those unfamiliar, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra were accused of fraud by businessman Deepak Kothari, who alleged that the couple induced him to invest ₹60 crore in Best Deal TV Private Limited between 2015 and 2023 through a business deal, but used the money for their personal gain.
