My name dragged so loosely to get eyeballs: Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra, on Sunday, issued a strongly worded statement after an FIR was lodged against her and her husband Raj Kundra in an alleged case of fraud and cheating.

According to Mumbai Police, a complaint was filed by a person named Nitin Barai with Bandra police station in Mumbai against Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty, Kashiff Khan, the director of SFL Fitness Company and some others, alleging that they duped him of over Rs 1.59 crore and that he wants the couple to return his investment.

According to the complainant, in 2014, Kashiff Khan along with the couple had asked him to invest Rs 1. 51 crore in the fitness business and open a franchise of SFL fitness in Pune's Hadapsar and Koregaon Park areas with an investment of over Rs 1.59 crore.

Later when things did not materialise, the complainant said when he demanded his money back he claimed he was threatened. The police have registered a case against the accused under sections 406, 409, 420, 506, 34, 120 (b) of IPC.

Shilpa Shetty took to her Twitter to post: "Woke up to an FIR registered in Raj and my name! Shocked!! To set the record straight, SFL Fitness, a venture run by Kashiff Khan. He had taken naming rights of brand SFL to open SFL Fitness 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 nor have we received a single rupee from him for the same. All the franchisee's dealt directly with Kashiff. The company closed in 2014 and was entirely handled by Kashiff Khan" she said.

Shilpa further said that her reputation is being tarnished due to such complaints, "I have worked very hard over the last 28 years and it pains me to see that my name and reputation is getting damaged and dragged so loosely to get eyeballs. My rights as a law-abiding proud citizen in India should be protected. With gratitude, Shilpa Shetty Kundra."

Earlier this year, in July, Raj Kundra was in the news for another legal trouble when he was arrested in a porn-related case. The 45-year-old businessman was released on bail two months later, in September.