Rs 60 cr cheating case: Kundra paid part of fraud amount to actors and producers as fees, say police

Mumbai, Sep 18 (PTI) Businessman Raj Kundra, who is being probed in connection with a Rs 60 crore cheating case, has claimed before the investigators that he paid part of that amount to Bollywood actors Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia, and producer Ekta Kapoor as their professional fees, an official said.

Kundra (50) made the claim in a statement he recorded before the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police earlier this week, he said on Thursday.

The EOW is probing the Rs 60 crore cheating case, in which Kundra and his wife and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty are named as accused along with others. Kundra and Shetty were directors of the now defunct Best Deal TV Private Limited, a home shopping and online retail platform.

Kundra was questioned by the EOW personnel on September 15 for more than five hours in connection with the case.

During his questioning, Kundra told the police that some part of the amount was allegedly given to actors Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia and producer Ekta Kapoor as their professional fees for their appearance on the online platform.

However, the EOW is not planning to summon any of them (actors and producer) to seek more details, the official said.

As a part of the ongoing probe, the EOW is also investigating various bank transactions of Kundra.

The case was registered on a complaint against the high-profile couple and some unidentified persons for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 60.4 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal related to Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd.

The complaint was filed by businessman Deepak Kothari (60), who is a director at a non-banking financial company named as Lotus Capital Finance Services.

So far, the EOW has recorded the statements of Kundra, and plans to summon him again next week as a lot more witnesses need to be verified before the next round of interrogation, the police had earlier said.

Earlier this month, police issued Lookout Circulars (LOCs) against Shetty and Kundra.

An LOC is a notice which is used by authorities to stop someone from leaving the country or to keep track of their movements. It alerts immigration and border officials to watch for that person. PTI DC NP