Court orders investigation against Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra, allegations of fake ‘gold scheme’

A Mumbai court has directed the police to investigate a complaint of fraud against film actress Shilpa Shetty, her husband Raj Kundra and some other businessmen associated with them in a ‘gold investment scheme’ with an investor. Additional Sessions Judge NP Mehta said in his/her order on Tuesday that prima facie cognizable offences are made out against the Kundra couple, the company established by them, Satyug Gold Private Limited, and two more directors and an employee of the company.

Along with this, the court directed the BKC police station to investigate the allegations made in the complaint by Prithviraj Kothari, managing director of ‘Riddhi Siddhi Bullions’. In the order given to the police, the judge has said that if any cognizable offence is found against the accused, then an FIR should be registered against them under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for fraud, crime and breach of trust.

The Kundra couple started a scheme in the year 2014

Kothari has said in the complaint filed through his/her lawyers that the Kundra couple had started a scheme in the year 2014. In this scheme, investors were asked to make an advance payment of gold at a discounted rate while applying and then on maturity of the scheme, they were to be given a fixed amount of gold.

The complainant said that he/she did not get as much gold as promised

According to his/her complaint, based on the claims made by the accused persons, Kothari invested Rs 90,38,600 under a five-year scheme on the belief that he/she would be given 5,000 grams of 24-carat gold on April 2, 2019. However, he/she was never given the amount of gold promised by the company.

‘A completely fake plan was made and a conspiracy was hatched’

The complaint states that in this way the accused hatched a completely fake scheme and conspired and together committed the offence punishable under sections related to cheating and criminal breach of trust in the IPC.