Businessman Raj Kundra has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning, sources said two days after his house and offices were raided in a money laundering probe linked to the pornography case against him. Mr Kundra has been asked to appear at the ED office at 11 am tomorrow, they added.
Mr Kundra is being probed for the production and distribution of pornographic content through a mobile app named ‘Hotshots’. The ED alleges that these explicit videos were monetized and funds were routed abroad. As part of the probe, the ED raided his 15 premises in Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, including his Juhu house, on Friday.
Read: A “Note To Media” In Businessman Raj Kundra’s Scathing Post Amid Raids
The ‘Hotshots’ app was taken down from Google Play and the Apple Store after public and legal scrutiny. The central agency that probes financial crimes in the country alleges that the app’s operations were managed by Mr Kundra’s company Armsprime Media Pvt Ltd.
The company later facilitated the sale of the app to the UK-based Kenrin Pvt Ltd, claims the ED, adding that it has WhatsApp chats of Mr Kundra as evidence of financial transactions with Kenrin, as well as for the sale of 119 adult movies for $1.2 million.
The app allegedly lured aspiring actors for web series auditions and then coerced them into filming semi-nude and nude scenes against their will.
Read: Raj Kundra’s House Raided By Enforcement Directorate In Porn Content Case
The ED is also probing Mr Kundra’s alleged involvement in a crypto-ponzi scheme by Amit Bhardwaj, the mastermind behind the Gain Bitcoin Scam. His and his wife-actor Shilpa Shetty’s properties worth Rs 98 crore were attached by the ED earlier this year over allegations that they had acquired the proceeds from illegal activities.
Mr Kundra, however, maintains that his wife is not related to the pornography and money laundering cases. In a scathing post on Friday, he said it was unacceptable to “drag my wife’s name into unrelated matters” and that they must respect the boundaries.
Ms Shetty’s lawyer, too, had also trashed media reports that she was being raided and clarified she had “nothing to do with any offence”.