Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra’s husband was arrested late on July 19 along with 11 other people on charges related to the alleged creation of pornographic films and was placed in police custody till July 23. In another bail hearing, Kundra’s custody was later extended till July 27.
After the interrogation of Mumbai Police, now the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to register a case against Kundra under the Money Laundering and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) anytime after July 26.
The ED will take the First Information Report (FIR) copy from Mumbai Police before starting its probe after filing a case. The ED may issue summon against Raj Kundra under PMLA and FEMA before questioning him.
The Mumbai Police's crime branch has claimed before a local court that Raj Kundra was making financial gains through this illegal business by taking subscription fees from the users of these apps.
The ED will find out details about the claims made by the Mumbai Police over Raj Kundra's involvement in the financial dealings of the app and its contents based on inputs about several WhatsApp chats.
The director of Raj Kundra's company Viaan Industries may also be quizzed by the ED in its investigation. Shilpa Shetty could also be questioned by the ED as she was the director of Kundra's firm till last year.
Kundra has been named as the key conspirator by the Mumbai Police which has slapped charges against him under Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Also read: Crime Branch locates hidden cupboard at Raj Kundra’s Viaan office in porn racket case
Mumbai Police told the Court that they suspect money earned from pornography was used for online betting. "He appears to be the key conspirator. We have sufficient evidence regarding this," Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale had said.