Raids are being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at 15 premises, including that of businessman and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra, besides several other places in Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh in link with the pornography case against Kundra. According to the media reports, the places being searched include Kundra’s residence in Juhu and premises linked to his associates.
The central agency registered a money laundering case against Raj Kundra in 2022 in connection with the pornography case. The case was registered based on an FIR against him by the Mumbai police in 2021 for running a pornography racket. Kundra had been arrested by the Mumbai police in this connection. The ED is investigating the financial transactions pertaining to the case.
In February 2021, the police made the first arrests in the alleged porn racket case. Prior to this, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch conducted raids at a bungalow in Madh Island where porn movies were allegedly being shot. Kundra was arrested in July 2021 following investigations revealed that he was a key conspirator in the case. The pornographic content produced was being distributed over subscription-based mobile apps like HotHit Movies and Hotshots.
The Hotshots app was developed by Armsprime Media Private Limited, a firm founded by Kundra in 2019. Later, Armsprime sold Hotshots to Kenrin Limited, a UK-based firm owned by Kundra’s brother-in-law Pradeep Bakshi. The Mumbai police have already filed a chargesheet against Kundra and three other accused linked to the case. In 2021, Kundra spent two months in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail and was granted bail in September that year.
The ED is looking into overseas transactions in this connection. The agency is already investigating a money laundering case against Kundra over a Bitcoin scheme. In April this year, the agency attached immovable and movable properties worth Rs 97.79 crore belonging to Kundra, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Bitcoin investment fraud case.
The central agency said the attached properties include a residential flat in Mumbai’s upscale Juhu area, which is presently in the name of Shilpa Shetty, a residential bungalow situated in Pune, and equity shares in Kundra’s name. The ED filed the Bitcoin money laundering case against Kundra based on multiple FIRs registered by the police forces in Maharashtra and Delhi against Variable Tech Pvt Ltd, Amit Bhardwaj (deceased), Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj, Mahender Bhardwaj, and several multiple-level marketing (MLM) agents.
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