Actor Shilpa Shetty's request to travel to Colombo for a YouTube event was rejected by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, which said she must first clear Rs 60 crore in fraud-related dues before seeking travel approval.
The court noted that a Lookout Circular or LOC issued by the Economic Offences Wing or EOW against Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, remains active, according to an NDTV report. Due to the LOC, the couple cannot travel abroad without prior permission from either the court or the investigating agency.
Shetty's lawyer informed the court that the actor was scheduled to attend a YouTube event in Colombo from Oct. 25 to 29. However, when the court asked for an invitation letter, the lawyer said they had only held a phone conversation with the organisers and would receive a formal invitation only after travel permission was granted.
The court rejected the request, observing that Shetty and Kundra should first repay the alleged Rs 60 crore fraud amount before seeking permission to travel abroad. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on Oct. 14.
This marks the second time in a week that the Bombay High Court has denied travel permission to the couple. Last week, their plea to visit Phuket, Thailand, for a family vacation was also rejected, citing the serious nature of the pending cases. The court had also refused to stay the LOC issued by the Mumbai Police's EOW.
The Mumbai Police issued the lookout circular on Oct. 5 against Shetty and Kundra in connection with a Rs 60 crore cheating case. The LOC was issued because the couple frequently travels abroad, according to a PTI report.
A Lookout Circular is a mechanism used to prevent individuals from leaving the country or to track their movements, typically through alerts issued at immigration and border checkpoints.
The case, registered on Aug. 14 at Juhu Police Station, accuses the couple of duping a businessman of nearly Rs 60 crore in a loan-cum-investment deal linked to their now-defunct company, Best Deal TV Pvt. Ltd.
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