A significant legal hurdle has been placed on Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra and her husband, businessman Raj Kundra, as the Bombay High Court has refused them permission for international travel. The court’s decision follows a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), preventing the couple from departing the country without official sanction.
Shilpa Shetty’s lawyer had presented a case for her to travel to Colombo for a YouTube event between October 25th and 29th. The court inquired about formal invitations, to which the lawyer responded that these would be secured post-travel approval. The bench then stipulated a prerequisite for any travel consideration: the deposit of Rs 60 crore, citing fraud allegations. The legal proceedings are set to continue with a further hearing scheduled for October 14, 2025.
The allegations stem from businessman Deepak Kothari, who accuses Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra of conspiring to defraud him of more than Rs 60 crore. Kothari asserts that the money invested for business growth from 2015 to 2023 was allegedly misappropriated for personal use. Reports indicate that Raj Kundra previously stated that part of the disputed funds were disbursed as professional fees to actresses Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia. During a lengthy interrogation by the EOW, Kundra reportedly provided evasive answers on critical aspects, leading investigators to plan subsequent questioning sessions. The EOW is also reportedly examining financial records that show direct transfers from corporate accounts to the personal accounts of multiple actresses, including Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu, and Neha Dhupia, along with transactions involving Balaji Entertainment.