Shilpa Shetty defends Raj Kundra, says 'truth will prevail'

Bollywood actor and wife of Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty, has defended her husband following charges of betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and said that the truth will prevail.

"For those who care,my apparent involvement in betting is complete nonsense nd I have never bet on any cricket match ever.Truth will prevail," Shilpa said on twitter.

"We love cricket, it's the passion for the sport that made us a part of IPL. It's extremely disheartening to keep clarifying that," she added.

The couple also lashed out at the media on twitter, and accused it of making concocted news.

"Good morning woke up to news raj kundra faces the heat. Yes it's very hot in Mumbai. Media has misconstrued everything using unreliable sources. Try speaking to the main guys at crime branch. Why does media hype things and make such stupid claims to sell news," said Kunda on twitter.

Delhi Police today claimed that Raj Kundra has admitted to betting in the IPL through bookie Umesh Goenka.

"We got to know that he (Raj Kundra) used to place bets and that is why he was called for questioning. Umesh Goenka was the bookie through whom he placed the bets. He has lost a lot of money on the bets that he made," said Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.

Delhi Police has also asked Kundra to surrender his passport and not to leave the country pending further inquiry in the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

Kundra, an NRI businessman based in the United Kingdom, was questioned for almost twelve hours by the police yesterday.

Information on Kundra came to light during the interrogation of his friend Umesh Goenka, a businessman who reportedly used to ask Rajasthan Royal players about strategy, team composition, pitch situation and even things like the possible winner of a match.

Delhi Police recorded Goenka's statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in front of a magistrate. This bars him from retracting his statement.

Kundra is Goenka's partner in his steel ingots manufacturing business called Ashwini Steel Private Limited in Ahmedabad.

Kundra was quizzed mainly on three aspects. He was asked about the capacity in which Goenka interacted with the management on team strategy, asking players other questions, and about the "open parties his team players attended" with the bookies at the team hotel.

Delhi Police also asked Kundra about his team's partnership and investment pattern since he only owns 11.7 percent in the team.

The Rajasthan Royals have four owners, including Kundra's wife and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty.

If required, the Special Cell of Delhi Police may summon Shilpa Shetty and other team owners for questioning in the days to come.