Raj Kundra sent to judicial custody till August 10
Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty's husband, who was arrested last week for apparently being the "key conspirator" in a pornographic case, has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. This means he will remain in jail till August 10. The Bombay High Court heard his bail petition today, after which this order was passed. Kundra, presently lodged in Byculla jail, attended the hearing.
Crime Branch found a hidden cupboard in Kundra's office
Earlier, the businessman was sent to custody till today, alongside his aide Ryan Thorpe. As per investigation, Kundra had a hidden cupboard in his Viaan and JL Stream office in Andheri, which has now been seized by the police. The Crime Branch has also quizzed Tanveer Hashmi, named as one of the accused in the case. Hashmi, however, claimed to have never met Kundra.
Shetty, upon being interrogated, apparently broke down
Officials had also visited Shetty and Kundra's residence in Mumbai a few days back, and had interrogated the actress. She apparently broke down after a "huge argument" with Kundra and claimed that she didn't have any knowledge of her husband's connection to this entire pornographic racket. "The Crime Branch team had to intervene between the couple to pacify the actress," sources said.
Kundra 'threw away' his old phone, cops looking for it
Mumbai Police sources added that Kundra was expecting his arrest, after nine people were nabbed in this case. And so, "he changed his phone in March so that no data can be recovered." When officials asked him about that, "he told them he threw it away." Cops are of the belief that phone has "many important pieces of evidence," and are looking for it.
The businessman had prepared a 'Plan B' for his escape
It seems Kundra had prepared a Plan B for his escape, said sources. But his luck ran out. Meanwhile, a financial auditor has been appointed to track the money trail of both Kundra and Shetty, after "crime branch officials found transactions worth crores" being done from the joint account of the couple. This indicates that the Hungama 2 actress is still under scanner.
Here is how the racket came to the fore
It all started in February, when a woman approached cops complaining that she was forced to do pornographic films, after being promised a job in the film industry. An FIR was lodged and probe started. After Mumbai Police found "sufficient evidence," they arrested Kundra last week. As per investigation, pornographic content was created and uploaded on apps like HotShots, all allegedly backed by Kundra.
