The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, for questioning on December 4 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged illegal distribution of pornographic movies, official sources said on Monday. He was asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case here on Monday but it is understood that he sought a fresh date. Raj Kundra Controversy: Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s Husband Summoned by ED in Money Laundering Case Linked to Alleged Pornographic Film Distribution.
Kundra has now been asked to appear on December 4, the sources said. Some others involved in the case, including a businessman from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, have been summoned on December 4 and actor Gehna Vasisth has been asked to depose on December 9, the sources added. The central agency raided the premises of Kundra in Mumbai and those of other persons located in some cities of Uttar Pradesh on December 29. Kundra said last week that he was “fully complying” with the ongoing investigation that has been unfolding for the last four years.
Shetty’s lawyer has told PTI that the action was not against the actor and that Kundra was “cooperating in the investigation for the truth to come out”.
The money laundering case of May 2022 stems from at least two Mumbai Police FIRs and chargesheets filed against Kundra and others. The businessman and some others were arrested in the case and later granted bail. This is the second money laundering case against Kundra. Early this year, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 98 crore of Kundra and Shetty in a cryptocurrency case. The couple, however, obtained relief from the Bombay High Court against this attachment order.
The businessman told a local court in 2021 that there was not even an iota of evidence with the prosecution (Mumbai Police) that would connect the app ‘Hotshots’, used in the alleged porn films racket, with an offence under the law. According to the probe agency, the ‘Hotshots’ app was being used by the accused for uploading and streaming obscene content. Kundra had claimed there was no evidence of him being “actively” involved in the creation of alleged porn content. He had claimed he was falsely implicated and was not even named in the FIR and was dragged by the respondent (police) in the case. The businessman claimed in the plea that he is being made a “scapegoat” for reasons best known to investigators. Raj Kundra Money Laundering Case: Shilpa Shetty’s Lawyer Calls Reports of ED Raid on Actress ‘Untrue’ – Read Official Statement.
The police had filed FIRs on the basis of complaints received from two women, while another woman had submitted a complaint at the Lonavla police station, around 120 km from Mumbai. During the investigation, it came to light that some small-time artistes were lured with the promise of giving them breaks in some web series or short stories, police had said. These actors were called for auditions and were asked to act ‘bold’ scenes which later turned out to be semi-nude or nude scenes, which were against the wishes of the actors, officials had said.
During the police investigation, it also came to light that there are many ‘porn-like apps’ (applications) operating in cyberspace. The police had told the court that its probe found that Kundra set up Armsprime Media Pvt Ltd, which, through the London-based Kenrin Pvt Ltd, bought the Hotshots app to upload “objectionable videos” on social media.