New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday issued summons to businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, as part of a money laundering case linked to alleged distribution of pornographic and adult movies. Kundra has been asked to appear before the probe agency this week.
The summons were issued after ED conducted raids at around 15 locations in Mumbai and some cities in Uttar Pradesh, including the home and office of 49-year-old Kundra and some other persons.
Raj Kundra's lawyer Prashant Patil assured that the businessman has not committed a crime. "I have not yet spoken to my clients, but I can tell you they are innocent. If you go by the Mumbai Police chargesheet Raj Kundra's transactions are legal. He has paid taxes. I can assure you Raj Kundra has not committed any offence of money laundering, Patil told Times Now.
The money laundering case of May, 2022 stems from at least two Mumbai police FIRs and charge sheets filed against Kundra and others. The businessman and some others were arrested in the case and later granted bail.
This is the second money laundering case against Kundra. Early this year, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 98 crore of Kundra and Shetty in a crypto currency case. The couple, however, obtained relief from the Bombay High Court against this attachment order.
The businessman told a local Mumbai court in 2021 that there was not even an iota of evidence with the prosecution (Mumbai Police) that would connect the app 'Hotshots', used in the alleged porn films racket, with an offence under law.
According to the probe agency, the 'Hotshots' app was being used by accused persons for uploading and streaming obscene content.
Kundra had 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 and was dragged by the respondent (police) in the case.
The businessman claimed in the plea that he is being made a "scapegoat" for reasons best known to investigators.
With inputs from PTI