File pic: Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia
Actress Preity Zinta has ruled out selling her stake in Kings XI Punjab, the Indian Premier League franchise she co-owns with Ness Wadia, whom she has accused of manhandling, abusing and threatening her during a team match on May 30.
"A big Thank U 2all the people 4the support. Amazed at how much speculation in the media. No I'm not selling my stake or settling in the US (sic)," she posted on her Twitter account.
"So called sources says anything & it's getting reported. Pls No hearsay. There are many IMP Issues in India which are much more news worthy," she added.
Her comments in the middle of an escalating dispute with Ness Wadia, her former boyfriend, who has alleged in a police complaint that his company received threatening calls and texts from an underworld gangster referencing the Bollywood star.
The caller identified himself as fugitive underworld don Ravi Pujari, the police said. A threatening message allegedly warned the Wadias against troubling Ms Zinta.
Ms Zinta, 39, had filed a police complaint last week accusing Mr Wadia, 44, of abusing her after the pair got into an argument while watching their team play the Chennai Super Kings on May 30 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Ms Zinta has agreed to return from a foreign trip to record her testimony for the police this week, said Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria.
Ms Zinta and Mr Wadia, scion of the Wadia group, an Indian conglomerate with interests including in real estate, textiles and a low-budget airline, called off their five-year relationship in 2009.
In a statement last week, Mr Wadia called the allegations "totally false and baseless".