'Shame on you': Preity Zinta slams Congress for spreading fake news about her Rs 18 crore loan

Preity Zinta Pic/Instagram

Bollywood actor Preity Zinta, returning to the big screen with the Aamir Khan-produced film Lahore 1947, called out Kerala Congress for spreading misinformation about her involvement in a scam. For those unversed, New India Cooperative Bank has courted controversy for fraud allegedly occurring between 2020 and 2025. It was detected when discrepancies appeared in the bank's financial records. An internal audit flagged concerns over missing funds, prompting a police investigation.

Preity Zinta calls out fake news

Kerala Congress shared an article on X that said Preity Zinta had been waived off a loan of Rs 18 crore from the bank and wrote in the caption, "She gave her social media accounts to BJP and got 18 Cr written off and the bank collapsed last week. Depositors are on the streets for their money."

Preity strongly reacted to the same and wrote, "No I operate my social media accounts myself, and shame on you for promoting FAKE NEWS! No one wrote off anything or any loan for me. I'm shocked that a political party or their representative is promoting fake news & indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images. For the record, a loan was taken and FULLY PAID BACK - over 10 years ago. Hope this clarifies and helps so there are no misunderstandings in the future."

About the New India Cooperative Bank scam

According to reports, the former General Manager of New India Cooperative Bank Limited, Hitesh Pravinchand Mehta, allegedly withdrew Rs 122 crore when he was responsible for the Dadar and Goregaon branches. He allegedly misused his position and committed fraud from the accounts of both branches. According to the complaint filed by the Chief Accounts Officer at the Dadar Police Station, Mehta, in his capacity as General Manager, is accused of withdrawing a massive sum from the bank's accounts, taking advantage of his position.

Preity Zinta's work front

On the professional front, Preity is gearing up to make her comeback to the Hindi film industry with Rajkumar Santoshi's upcoming directorial Lahore 1947, where she will star alongside star Sunny Deol. Aamir Khan will be stepping into the role of producer, bringing his vision and expertise to the project through Aamir Khan Productions. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi and Mirzapur fame Ali Fazal have also joined the cast in pivotal roles.