Did Raj Kundra bribe Mumbai crime branch officials to defer his arrest in the pornographic production case? A report quoting a co-accused in the case surfaced Thursday levelling this allegation against the British-Indian businessman.
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As per mid-day, one Arvind Srivastava (alias Yash Thakur) who was named as one of the main accused in the Mumbai porn racket case earlier this year in March and is currently absconding, allegedly relayed to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) via email that Kundra had deposited a bribe of Rs 25 lakh to the crime branch of Mumbai police.
Reports further suggest ACB forwarded the matter to the Mumbai police chief in April but allegedly did not hear back.
Mumbai-based Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested on July 19 and is to remain in custody till July 23. He has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. Read charges here.
In the porn film production and distribution case the Mumbai police have busted, Kundra has been named as the "key conspirator." Chats attributed to Kundra and other alleged stakeholders in the porn productions, including UK-based Kerin Production House owner Pradeep Bakshi, have surfaced as evidence.
As per police, a WhatsApp group comprising a four-member team - with Kundra as admin - and emails found allegedly discuss payment flow and a 'Plan B' for business. An app named Hotshots, where the illegal porn content was reportedly being published, is at the centre of the investigation. Though Kundra claims to have sold the app in 2019 to Kenrin, police suspect he had a role in its operations from his India office, Viaan Industries.
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Several women - including actors Sherlyn Chopra, Poonam Pandey and Sagarika Shona Suman - have spoken up in the pornographic case, alleging Kundra's role in it. Read what they said here.
Police said they have not found any active role of Shetty in the controversy yet.
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