Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra get interim anticipatory bail in cheating case

Case was registered against Shilpa and Raj for allegedly duping a textile firm owner of Rs 24 lakhs

A sessions court here on Tuesday granted actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra an interim protection from arrest in a cheating case.

The case was registered against Shilpa and Raj on April 27 by the Bhiwandi police in neighbouring Thane district for allegedly duping a textile firm owner of Rs 24 lakhs.

Shilpa and Raj were booked under sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code allegedly for committing criminal breach of trust and cheating the firm.

The duo had approached the Thane sessions court seeking anticipatory bail.

"The sessions court today granted both Shilpa and Raj interim anticipatory bail on a surety of Rs 50,000 each," their lawyer Aniket Nikam said.

Nikam argued before the court that his clients' firm Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd was in a business partnership for over a year with the complainant.

"Best Deal had made payment of over Rs one crore to the complainant and hence it cannot be said that the accused persons had any intention to cheat the complainant," Nikam said.

He further argued that the case was civil in nature.

According to the complainant, Best Deal had collected the money from customers for sale of bedsheets on behalf of one Malotia Textiles through TV ads but did not allegedly pay the textile company the proceeds.