Has Actress Shilpa Shetty Abandoned Her Plans to Visit the US Amid Fraud Case?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Shilpa Shetty cancels US trip amid legal troubles.
- Withdraws petition from Bombay High Court.
- Case involves Rs 60 crore fraud allegations.
- Next court hearing on November 17.
- Allegations of perjury and forgery against Shetty.
Mumbai, Oct 16 (NationPress) Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who is a co-accused in a Rs 60 crore fraud case involving her husband, businessman Raj Kundra, has decided against traveling to Los Angeles and has retracted her petition from the Bombay High Court that sought relief from the Look Out Circular (LOC) placed against her, according to a lawyer's statement on Thursday.
The High Court is scheduled to hear the couple's request to annul the LOC on November 17, the lawyer mentioned.
On Thursday, Shetty's legal team informed Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad that Shetty's planned appearance at an event with US influencer Mr. Beast has been canceled.
The case against Kundra and Shetty, both former directors of the now-defunct Best Deal TV Private Limited, a home shopping and online retail company, was initiated in Mumbai on August 14 over allegations of defrauding businessman Deepak Kothari of nearly Rs 60 crore in a loan-cum-investment arrangement.
During the court proceedings on Thursday, Kothari's legal representatives accused the actress of perjury and claimed that an affidavit submitted by Shilpa Shetty requesting permission to leave the country contained serious errors, including the absence of her signature on one page.
The lawyers for Kothari also raised allegations of forgery related to the preparation of the affidavit and its notarization.
The court has granted Kothari's advocates the authority to pursue the issue and seek repercussions against the actress for the alleged misconduct concerning the affidavit.
Last month, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra filed a petition in the High Court seeking to suspend the LOC issued against them by the police in this case, hoping to travel for both professional engagements and leisure trips abroad.
However, the court previously stated that it cannot allow leisure travel while the couple faces accusations of cheating and fraud.
The couple's petition requested the suspension of the LOC from October 2025 to January 2026.
On October 10, Raj Kundra claimed during police interrogation that his business suffered financial losses due to demonetisation.
He disclosed to the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) that his company, which dealt in electrical and household appliances, faced severe losses post-demonetisation, leading to an inability to repay the borrowed funds.
This marks the second instance in which Kundra's statement has been recorded in this matter, and officials have indicated that he will be summoned again in the coming weeks.
The EOW also interrogated Shilpa for approximately four-and-a-half hours regarding the case.
Businessman Kothari claims that the Rs 60 crore provided to Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra for business expansion between 2015 and 2023 was instead misappropriated for personal expenses.