Shilpa Shetty has been on a spiritual sojourn of sorts these days as she visited the divine places of Vaishno Devi, Kedarnath and Maa Kamakhya Devi Temples for blessings.
Tag: Raj Kundra
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ED Freezes Raj Kundra’s Assets, Including Shilpa Shetty’s Juhu Flat, Worth Rs 97 Crore Under PMLA |
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday seized assets worth a whopping Rs 98 crore, which includes a luxurious bungalow in Pune and equity shares, all belonging to the renowned actor Shilpa Shetty and her entrepreneur husband Raj Kundra. The case revolves around the misuse of investor funds through the digital currency, Bitcoin. The seized properties comprise a plush residential flat in the upscale Juhu area of Mumbai, currently registered under Shetty’s name, and a residential bungalow in Pune along with equity shares, all in Kundra’s name.
The ED has issued a provisional attachment order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), effectively freezing these properties valued at Rs 97.79 crore.
The roots of this money laundering case trace back to FIRs lodged by the Maharashtra Police and Delhi Police against a company named Variable Tech Pte Ltd and several individuals including Late Amit Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj, Mahender Bhardwaj, and numerous agents. It was alleged that they had amassed a staggering amount of funds in the form of Bitcoins (valued at Rs 6,600 crore in 2017) from unsuspecting public, luring them with false promises of a 10% monthly return in the form of Bitcoins.
The promoters are accused of duping the investors and concealing the ill-gotten Bitcoins in obscure online wallets. The ED has alleged that Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from Amit Bhardwaj, the mastermind and promoter of the Gain Bitcoin Ponzi scam, for setting up a Bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine.
Interestingly, Kundra is still in possession of these 285 Bitcoins, which are currently valued at over Rs 150 crore, as per the ED’s statement.
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SC grants anticipatory bail to Raj Kundra in 2020 porn video case
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra on Tuesday breathed a sigh of relief as SC granted anticipatory bail to him and four others in a 2020 porn videos case registered by Nodal Cyber Police Station, Bandra.
The other four accused who have been granted anticipatory bail are Poonam Pandey, Sherlyn Chopra, Umesh Ganpat Kamat and Suvojit Chowdhury.
A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna asked the lower court to impose conditions and directed the accused to cooperate in the investigation.
“We are of the view that they should be granted anticipatory bail subject to the conditions imposed by the trial court. They should fully cooperate. The court will also incorporate this as a condition for anticipatory bail,” the bench said in its order.
Top Court’s order came in a plea filed by the accused against Bombay HCs November 25, 2021 ruling of rejecting to grant them pre-arrest bail in an FIR registered under section 292 of the IPC, under Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and under Sections 3 and 4 of Indecent Women Representation Act, 1986 for allegedly distributing/ transmitting sexually explicit videos. The FIR was filed based on a complaint alleging that websites broadcasting/exhibiting indecent video, audio files having lascivious, lustful, offensive sexual desire messages and videos were openly available through internet.
Appearing for one of the accused, Senior Advocate R Basant told the court that chargesheet has already been filed in the case and the accused are cooperating with the police in the investigation.
“We were picked up within 24 hours of registration of FIR,” Advocate Nikhil Goel representing another accused added.
Informing the bench of the chargesheet being filed in the case, Maharashtra government’s counsel urged the court to direct the accused for cooperating in investigation whenever their presence was required. “My only concern is that in case there is requirement for further inquiry, they should cooperate in further investigation,” he said.
NEW DELHI: Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra on Tuesday breathed a sigh of relief as SC granted anticipatory bail to him and four others in a 2020 porn videos case registered by Nodal Cyber Police Station, Bandra.
The other four accused who have been granted anticipatory bail are Poonam Pandey, Sherlyn Chopra, Umesh Ganpat Kamat and Suvojit Chowdhury.
A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna asked the lower court to impose conditions and directed the accused to cooperate in the investigation.
“We are of the view that they should be granted anticipatory bail subject to the conditions imposed by the trial court. They should fully cooperate. The court will also incorporate this as a condition for anticipatory bail,” the bench said in its order.
Top Court’s order came in a plea filed by the accused against Bombay HCs November 25, 2021 ruling of rejecting to grant them pre-arrest bail in an FIR registered under section 292 of the IPC, under Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and under Sections 3 and 4 of Indecent Women Representation Act, 1986 for allegedly distributing/ transmitting sexually explicit videos. The FIR was filed based on a complaint alleging that websites broadcasting/exhibiting indecent video, audio files having lascivious, lustful, offensive sexual desire messages and videos were openly available through internet.
Appearing for one of the accused, Senior Advocate R Basant told the court that chargesheet has already been filed in the case and the accused are cooperating with the police in the investigation.
“We were picked up within 24 hours of registration of FIR,” Advocate Nikhil Goel representing another accused added.
Informing the bench of the chargesheet being filed in the case, Maharashtra government’s counsel urged the court to direct the accused for cooperating in investigation whenever their presence was required. “My only concern is that in case there is requirement for further inquiry, they should cooperate in further investigation,” he said.
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Porn case: SC notice to Maharashtra government on Raj Kundra’s appeal against Bombay HC order
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Maharashtra government on an appeal filed by businessman Raj Kundra against a Bombay High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail in connection with an FIR registered against him for allegedly distributing pornographic videos.
In July this year, Kundra, who is married to actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested by Mumbai Police in another case where he was accused of distributing porn films through an app.
He was granted bail in September. A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Aniruddha Bose on Wednesday issued notice to the Maharashtra government and sought its reply within four weeks in connection with the FIR filed by the cyber cell of the Mumbai police.
Kundra had been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act and Information Technology Act for allegedly distributing/ transmitting sexually explicit videos.
Fearing arrest, Kundra first sought anticipatory bail from the sessions court, but it was refused, so he moved the HC, claiming that he had been framed. The high court also rejected the anticipatory bail application filed by Kundra on November 25. The FIR named actors Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey as co-accused.
He was in no way connected to content creation, publication or transmission of alleged illegal videos even as the actors, who were named as co-accused, had given full consent to shoot the videos, his lawyers had claimed.
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Element of inducement, key ingredient in cheating cases, missing from Raj Kundra case: Court
By PTI
MUMBAI: A local court, while granting bail to businessman Raj Kundra, a key accused in a pornographic films case, noted that the element of inducement, which is the prime ingredient in cheating offences, appears to be missing from the case presented by the prosecution.
Kundra (46) was granted bail on Monday and a detailed order of the court was made available on Tuesday.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S B Bhajipale, in the bail order, also said all servers, laptops and mobile phones of the accused persons and their companies were already in custody of the police and hence there was no possibility of tampering with evidence.
Kundra and his associate and co-accused Ryan Thorpe were granted bail by the court on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each.
Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, and Thorpe were arrested by the Mumbai police’s crime branch on July 19 in the case which relates to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through mobile apps.
They were booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
The magistrate said all other co-accused in the case are out on bail and hence the applicant (Kundra) cannot be kept behind bars till conclusion of the trial.
“If the statements of the witnesses are perused then the element of inducement, which is the prime ingredient of cheating, appears to be missing from the case of the prosecution,” the court said in its order.
The police had claimed Kundra and the other accused had lured small-time and struggling actors with a promise of roles in small movies and had later forced them into acting in pornographic films and subsequently uploaded the adult content on mobile apps.
The court, in its bail order, noted that the offences under which Kundra has been booked are not punishable for more than seven years.
It further said the police have already filed a charge-sheet in the case.
The businessman and Thorpe were named in a supplementary charge-sheet filed by the police in the court last week.
“It is better to mention here that the trial will take its own time and, in such circumstances, it will not be proper to keep the accused in custody, when they are ready to furnish surety for their appearance and to abide by the conditions imposed by the court,” the order said.
The court, while granting bail to Kundra, directed him not to leave India without its prior permission and not to threaten any witness in the case.
Kundra, lodged in the Arthur Road jail in central Mumbai under judicial custody, walked out of the prison shortly after 11.30 am on Tuesday after completing requisite formalities.
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Raj Kundra walks out of Mumbai jail after bail in pornographic films case
By PTI
MUMBAI: Businessman Raj Kundra on Tuesday walked out of a Mumbai jail, a day after a magistrate court here granted bail to the key accused in a pornographic films case in which he was arrested two months ago.
Kundra was released from the Arthur Road jail shortly after 11.30 am, a jail official said.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SB Bhajipale on Monday allowed Kundra’s bail application on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000.
Kundra’s associate and co-accused Ryan Thorpe, who was arrested along with him on July 19, was also granted bail by the court in the case pertaining to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.
The 46-year-old businessman was lodged in Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai under judicial custody.
Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested by the Mumbai police’s crime branch after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Kundra moved a bail plea before the metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday, days after the police filed a supplementary charge-sheet in the case.
In the plea, filed through advocate Prashant Patil, Kundra claimed there was not even an iota of evidence till date with the prosecution that would connect the app ‘Hotshots’, used in the alleged porn films racket, with an offence under law.
As per the probe agency, the ‘Hotshots’ app was being used by accused persons for uploading and streaming obscene content.
The businessman claimed there was no evidence of him being “actively” involved in creation of alleged questionable porn content.
Kundra alleged he was falsely implicated, 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.
There is not a single allegation in the entire supplementary charge-sheet against Kundra, Patil submitted before the court.
Contents of the complaint in the case do not disclose any prima facie offence against Kundra, he said.
The public prosecutor opposed Kundra’s application, saying just because the charge-sheet has been filed, it does not imply bail is to be granted to the accused.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Bhajipale, after hearing both sides, allowed Kundra’s application on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 50,000.
The police, in their supplementary charge-sheet, had claimed Kundra was the “main facilitator” in the case and he along with other accused exploited young women struggling in the movie industry by filming them in obscene ways.
The nearly 1,500-page charge-sheet against Kundra and Thorpe was filed in the court on September 15 by the crime branch.
Besides Kundra and Thorpe, Yash Thakur, a resident of Singapore, and London-based Pardeep Bakshi have been shown as wanted accused in the charge-sheet.
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After 2 months in jail, businessman Raj Kundra gets bail in porn films case
By PTI
MUMBAI: A magistrate court here on Monday granted bail to businessman and actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra, an accused in a pornographic films case in which he was arrested two months ago.
Kundra’s associate Ryan Thorpe, who was arrested along with him in July, was also granted bail by the court.
Kundra (46) had filed a bail plea before the court, claiming there was not a single evidence against him in a supplementary charge-sheet filed by the Mumbai police crime branch in the case.
The businessman, in the plea, had claimed there was no evidence of him being “actively” involved in creation of alleged questionable porn content and that he was being made a “scapegoat” in the case.
ALSO READ: Concerned about media reports on Shilpa Shetty’s kids after Raj Kundra’s arrest, says Bombay HC
The police have said the probe conducted by the property cell of the crime branch has revealed that Kundra was the “main facilitator” in the porn films case.
A lot of evidences against Kundra came to light after technical analysis, witnesses’ statements and from documents confiscated from his office, it said.
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Porns film case: Kundra seeks bail citing ‘no evidence’ against him, says he’s being made ‘scapegoat’
By PTI
MUMBAI: Businessman Raj Kundra, an accused in the pornographic content case, on Saturday moved a bail application in a court here, claiming that he was being made a “scapegoat” and that there was not single evidence in the supplementary charge sheet of him being actively involved in the creation of alleged questionable content.
The crime branch, probing the case, had recently filed a supplementary charge-sheet against Kundra and three others in the case pertaining to the alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.
After that, the accused approached the metropolitan court for bail, saying that the investigation in the case was practically over.
Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested July 19 by after being booked under relevant sections of the IPC and the Information Technology Act.
He is currently in judicial custody. In the bail, filed through advocate Prashant Patil, Kundra claimed that there is not a single iota of evidence till date with the prosecution that would connect the app ‘Hotshots’ with an offence under law.
As per the probe agency, the Hotshots app was being used by the accused for uploading and streaming obscene content.
The bail plea also said that there is not a single allegation in the entire supplementary charge sheet against the present applicant (Kundra) that he was actively involved in any of the video shootings.
In fact, it is a sole discretion of the individual artists to upload their contents on the app, the plea said.
The contents of the complaint do not disclose any prima-facie offence against Kundra, the application said. It further claimed that Kundra was falsely implicated in the case.
He was not named in the FIR and he has been dragged by the respondent (police), it added. For the reasons best known to the investigating agencies, he is being made a “scapegoat”, it said.
The investigation so far clearly shows that Kundra was not involved in any offence even in a remotest way in creating the alleged “questionable content”.
Further, he is not even related to the process of uploading or broadcasting of the alleged questionable content, the bail plea added. The court will the bail application on Monday.
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Raj Kundra main facilitator in porn films case, earned millions: Charge-sheet
The nearly 1,500-page charge-sheet against Kundra, 46, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, and his associate Ryan Thorpe was filed before a magistrate court here by the crime branch.
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Pornography case: Bombay HC grants interim protection from arrest to Raj Kundra
By PTI
MUM BAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to businessman Raj Kundra in connection with a porn films racket case registered by the city police in 2020. A single bench of Justice SK Shinde directed the police to respond on August 25 to the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Kundra. “Interim protection granted till then,” Justice Shinde said.
Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, is currently in jail after being arrested in July in another case related to production and distribution of pornographic clips on some mobile apps. He filed the anticipatory bail plea in the HC last week in connection with the 2020 case, after a sessions court rejected his application seeking pre-arrest bail.
ALSO READ| Porn films case: Bail to Raj Kundra will send wrong message to society, cops tell court
In his plea, Kundra claimed that another accused in the case was granted bail and hence, he too should be given bail on parity. Opposing the plea in the HC on Wednesday, Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde submitted that Kundra’s role in the case was different from the other accused in the case.
She sought time to take more instructions on the application. Granting her time, Justice Shinde directed for an interim order protecting Kundra from arrest till the next hearing date -August 25. The FIR against Kundra was registered in October 2020 by the Mumbai police’s cyber crime cell for alleged broadcasting of nude erotic content on an OTT platform.
Kundra in his plea submitted that he was falsely implicated in the case. He claimed there was not a single iota of evidence with the prosecution to connect the ‘Hotshot’ app with the offences alleged, as none of the actresses arraigned as accused in the case had raised any grievance.