Raj Kundra arrested, sent to police custody till July 23 in porn case

 

 

 

BUSINESSMAN Raj Kundra, arrested in a case related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps, was on Tuesday remanded in police custody till July 23 by a Mumbai court, after the crime branch alleged he was making financial gains through this illegal business. The police claimed there were several WhatsApp chats that revealed Kundra (45), the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, was involved in the financial dealings of the app and its contents. The police also said three women have come forward with complaints in the case, saying they were “forced to act in pornographic movies”.

 

The accused persons took advantage of struggling models, actors and other workers, and made them work in these pornographic movies, the police said, adding that these movies were shot in rented bungalows in Mumbai. Kundra was taken into custody on Monday night by the city police’s crime branch after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

 

The police also arrested another person, identified as Ryan Thorpe, who was working on a senior position with an app firm, from his office along with Kundra after an enquiry into the matter, an official said. Kundra and Thope were produced before a magistrate’s court here which remanded both of them in police custody till July 23. The police, while seeking maximum custody of Kundra, told the court that the businessman was economically gaining by making and selling pornographic material. In their remand note, the police alleged that the accused persons “made profits in lakhs in this illegal business of making pornographic films and uploading the same via some mobile apps for which subscription fees is taken from viewers”.