The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, for questioning in a money laundering 🎶case linked to the alleged illegal distribution of pornographic movies, official sources said on Sunday.
The central agency raided the premises of Kundra i♕n Mumbai and those of other persons located in some cities of Uttar Pradesh on December 29.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, for questioning in a money laundering 🎶case linked to the alleged illegal distribution of pornographic movies, official sources said on Sunday.
They said Kundra has been asked to depose before the ꦯinvestigating officer of the case on December 2 or any other day of the week in case he is not able to appear on Monday.
Some others involved in the case, including a businessman from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, have also be🗹en summoned during the week, 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 on Saturday that he was "fully complying" with the ongoing investigation t🔥hat has been unfolding for the last four years.
Shetty's lawyer has told ℱPTI 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 we💛re arrested in the case and later granꦜted bail.
This is the second money laundering case against Kundra. Early this year, thℱe ED had attached assets worth Rs 🐷98 crore to 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 by the prosecution (Mumbai Police) that would connect the app 'Hotshots', used in the alleged porn films racket, with an offense under the law.
According to the probe agency, the 'Hotshots' app was being used by accused persons for uploading and streaming obscen🍬e co🔥ntent.
Kundra hadꦿ 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 aꦚnd was dragged by the respondent (police🌃) in the case.
The businessman claimed in the plea that 𓆉he is being made a "scapegoat" for reasons best known to investigators.
The police had filed FIRs on the basis of compla𝔍ints received from two women, while another woman had submitted a complaint at theꦜ Lonavla police station, around 120 km from Mumbai.
During the investigation, it came to light that some small-time artistes were lured w🦋ith the promise of giving th𝓰em breaks in some web series or short stories, police said.
These actors were called for auditions and were asked𒈔 to act 'bold' scenes, which later turned out to be seminude or nude scenes, which were against the wishes of the actors, officials said.
During the police investigation, it also came to light that there are many 'porn-l꧒ike apps' (applications) operating in cyberspace.
The police had tol🦄d thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe 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.
Kundra's phone contained WhatsApp chats regarding𝐆 Kenrin and its financial transactions. These conversations also revealed that he had discussed selling 💜119 adult films to a person for USD 1.2 million, police had said.