The ED’s investigation centres on suspected money laundering related to the creation and distribution of explicit content via various apps and online platforms.
Raj Kundra’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, asserted his client’s innocence.
New Delhi: In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing investigation into an alleged Bollywood pornography racket, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned businessman Raj Kundra and actress Gehana Vashisht for questioning next week. This action follows an 18-hour search of Kundra’s Juhu residence, where ED officials scrutinised financial records related to his business ventures and potential links to the production and distribution of pornographic content.
Kundra, in a statement posted on Instagram, maintained his full cooperation with the investigation, emphasising that the truth would ultimately prevail despite media sensationalism. “To whom it may concern… While the media seems to have a flair for drama, let’s set the record straight. I am fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation that has been unfolding for the past four years. As for the claims of ‘associates,’ ‘pornography,’ and ‘money laundering,’ let’s just say that no amount of sensationalism will cloud the truth. In the end, justice will prevail,” he wrote.
The ED’s investigation centres on suspected money laundering related to the creation and distribution of explicit content via various apps and online platforms.
The agency is examining bank records showing transfers from shell companies to Kundra’s businesses and associated firms, probing potential connections to the creation and dissemination of pornographic material.
Vashisht, previously arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch in 2021, faces accusations of coercing aspiring actors into adult films that were then monetised through apps like “Hotshots,” allegedly linked to Kundra. While Vashisht maintains her innocence and argues she only produced erotic content under valid contracts, investigators allege that she played a major role in the production and distribution of explicit content.
Kundra’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, asserted his client’s innocence, highlighting the lack of evidence directly linking Kundra to criminal activity within the Mumbai Police chargesheet. He underscored that Kundra’s financial transactions were legal and all taxes had been paid.
However, this isn’t Kundra’s first brush with money laundering allegations. Earlier this year, the ED attached assets worth Rs 98 crore belonging to Kundra and his wife, Shilpa Shetty, in a cryptocurrency case, an action subsequently overturned by the Bombay High Court.
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