Actor mounts strident defence of husband Raj Kundra, even as his legal team challenges his arrest as illegal
Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty Kundra
As investigations into the porn racket case against businessman and Shilpa Shetty’s husband, Raj Kundra, progress, the actress recorded her statement with the police at her residence in Juhu on Friday. According to sources, it was decided to record her statement after the police suspected that Shilpa may have known about Raj’s business related to the app, HotShot, where video content was uploaded.
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The actress is believed to have told the police that the video content is erotica and not pornography. She also maintained that her husband has nothing to do with the entire business and she is not aware of the existence of pornographic videos claimed by Mumbai police.
Media persons outside Raj Kundra’s Juhu house on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde
While recording her statement, the Crime Branch asked Shilpa if she was aware of the alleged pornography racket run by her husband and Viaan Industries, a beneficiary. Shilpa served as a director of the company till 2020. An officer told mid-day, “She said that movies available on Hotshot are not pornography but erotica. She also said that nowadays, similar content is available on the various OTT platforms and in fact, some are more obscene than what is available on Hotshot.”
According to sources, like Raj, Shilpa too denied being involved in the production of the alleged pornographic videos. Raj has said that everything was handled by his brother-in-law, Pradeep Bakshi, from London, with whom he only spoke on WhatsApp. However, the Mumbai police is not relying on Raj’s statement. “We have enough evidence that he was dealing with everything, his brother-in-law was made owner of the London-based company just for namesake,” the officer said.
Crime Branch officers and Raj Kundra exit his Juhu residence on Friday evening. Pic/Satej Shinde
The Crime Branch has not found Shilpa to be directly linked with the coordination of people who shot the alleged pornographic videos by luring aspirants in the name of giving opportunities on leading OTT platforms. She was questioned for several hours about her exit from Viaan industries in 2020. The Crime Branch suspects she took this step fearing legal hurdles due to Viaan Industries’s connection with Kenrin Limited and Hotshot. Police have found evidence of financial transactions between Kenrin Limited and Viaan industries.
On Friday, Raj was also taken to his residence for a raid after his remand hearing. The Crime Branch conducted searches at the couple’s Juhu residence and seized electronic gadgets. They were also questioned together regarding WhatsApp chats. The officers left their residence late on Friday after six and a half hours.
6.5 Hrs
Duration of the Crime Branch raid at the Kundras’ Juhu residence
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