Income tax raid at Shilpa Shetty`s home amid Rs 60 crore cheating case

Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra`s house was reportedly raided by income tax officials on Thursday on suspicion of tax evasion. This comes a day after the income tax officials searched her restaurant, Bastian, in Bengaluru, in connection with an FIR filed for violation of rules.

Income tax raid at Shilpa Shetty`s Mumbai home

According to reports, the income tax department searched Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra`s home in Mumbai on Thursday, a day after a raid at the Bastian Bengaluru outlet. The raid comes at a time when Shilpa Shetty is facing two legal troubles. The first was a complaint earlier filed against the Bengaluru outlet of her high-end restaurant, Bastian. for operating past the legal closing hours. Secondly, Shilpa and her Raj are also facing cheating charges in a Rs 60 crore fraud case.

A FIR has been registered against Bastion, located in Bengaluru`s St Marks, after the restaurant was allegedly found operating beyond the stipulated hours, hosting late-night parties and violating rules on December 11. According to the FIR, the police officer, on special patrol duty within the police station limits, followed a tip-off from an informant, which led him to inspect the restaurant. "At around 1.30 am, when the complainant visited the restaurant, it was found that the manager was operating it unauthorisedly beyond the timings fixed by the government," the FIR stated.

On the other hand, the actor and her husband are also fighting accusations of cheating a businessman out of Rs 60 crore in an investment deal. The Mumbai Police`s Economic Offences Wing earlier today charged the couple with cheating. The Rs 60 crore cheating case was filed by the police after receiving a complaint from Mumbai-based businessman Deepak Kothari. He claimed that between 2015 and 2023, he invested around Rs 60 crore in Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, a company linked to the couple, on the basis of assurances of returns and repayment.

Shilpa Shetty earlier clarified the issue

Notably, amid the ongoing legal troubles, Shilpa Shetty had taken to Instagram to share a post on Wednesday. In her long note, she denied the allegations, saying, "We categorically deny the baseless and motivated allegations being circulated. The issues sought to be raised are being given a criminal colour without any lawful basis. A quashing petition has already been filed before the high court and is pending adjudication. Having fully cooperated with the investigation, we are sanguine that justice will prevail and have complete faith in the law enforcement authorities and the judicial system of our country. We respectfully urge the media to exercise restraint as the matter is subjudice."