Shilpa Shetty reacts to FIR registered against her & husband Raj; says ‘it pains me to see that my name is getting damaged’

Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Sunday said she was "shocked" that an attempt was being made to defame her after a Mumbai-based businessman lodged a cheating case against the star, her entrepreneur-husband Raj Kundra and some other persons for allegedly duping him of Rs 1.51 crore. The FIR was registered on Saturday at Bandra police station based on a complaint by businessman Nitin Barai.

The complainant alleged that in July 2014, Kaashif Khan, the director of SFL Fitness company, along with Shilpa, Kundra and others asked him to invest Rs 1.51 crore into the enterprise to earn a profit. The complainant claimed he was assured that the SFL Fitness company will provide him a franchise and open a gym and spa at Hadapsar and Koregaon in neighbouring Pune, but it did not materialise, as per the FIR. Later, when the complainant sought his money back, he was allegedly threatened, a police official said quoting the complaint.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Shilpa denied her involvement in the matter. "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 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 franchisee's dealt directly with Kashiff. The company closed in 2014 and was entirely handled by Kashiff Khan," the Bollywood actor said in her statement.

Shilpa further said it was "painful" to see her goodwill in the Hindi film industry built over 28 years getting damaged. "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," she said.

Based on the complaint, the Bandra police registered the FIR under various Indian Penal Code Sections, including 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention), he said, adding that an investigation into the case was underway.