Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra's premises raided in money laundering probe linked to pornography case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday recently raided the premises of businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated searches on several locations which also include the premises of Raj regarding an investigation into alleged money laundering which is connected to adult content production and distribution via mobile applications.

Around 15 locations in Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh are being searched as per sources. As per reports, the probe pertains to the role of suspects in the alleged distribution of pornographic content.

For the uninitiated Shilpa's husband Raj was previously arrested by Mumbai police in 2021 in an adult content case. Later, he was granted bail and was under scrutiny in a separate money laundering investigation which was related to bitcoin fraud involving Ajay Bhardwaj. The ED has secured the couple's Juhu property and also asserted that Kundra utilized illicit funds to acquire the flat before transferring ownership in his wife's name.

Moreover, in the adult content case, the authorities alleged his involvement in creating inappropriate material. He also faced charges under several legal provisions that include Indian Penal Code, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology Act.

Earlier, Raj was under remand for three days of police custody. According to the investigation by the ED, Raj has a company called Arms Prime Media Limited in February 2019 and developed an app named Hotshots. Later, the app was sold to a UK-based company called Kenrin. The CEO of the compay is Pradeep Bakshi who is Raj Kundra's brother-in-law. As per reports, the for the maintenance of the Hotshots app, Kundra's company, Viaan Industries got partnered with Kenrin and crores of rupees were transferred to 13 bank accounts.