MATCH-FIXING TO PORN SCANDAL: MR SHILPA SHETTY ARREST

ONE could imagine the scenes in Mumbai’s high society earlier this week as the news broke – chai was spluttered on Persian rugs in many mansions , pearls clutched and glasses were cleaned to make sure what was in front of their eyes was true.

The news? The arrest of Raj Kundra, British businessman and husband of Bollywood star, Shilpa Shetty. It was dirty business that landed him behind bars: “key conspirator” in a porn racketeering case that shook the upper echelons of Mumbai society this week.

In an investigation led by the Mumbai Crime Branch, nine people have been arrested since February, but police made their breakthrough on Monday, when they nabbed Kundra, citing him as the key conspirator in dealing in pornographic videos through an application called “Hotshots”. Police say they have sufficient evidence, but Kundra has denied any involvement.

According to news outlets in India which have access to the court’s official police statement, Kundra’s involvement was exposed after the arrest of actress, TV presenter and model Gehana Vasisth in February.

Vasisth implicated Kundra’s former PA, Umesh Kamat, who then revealed Kundra's involvement in the business; however Kundra denied this and claimed he sold the “Hotshots” app.

On further investigation, police revealed that Kundra kept a close eye on the app and the funds it generated and allegedly set up a WhatsApp group on which the production, distribution and selling of clips to the UK was

discussed.

During proceedings at Esplanade Court on Tuesday, Vasisth said: “none of the films were porn films”.

“Those are just bold films as other producers like Ekta Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Vibhu Agarwal and many others make. Other apps like Netflix and Amazon have bolder content than this. One needs to understand the difference between erotica and porn. Police have just misinterpreted it,” she said.

Mumbai police have since frozen R13.6 million from the allegedly illegal money received in Kundra’s case. He remained in custody until his next hearing.

Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey has added her voice to the pornography scandal.

She said her app was managed by Kundra’s company in March last year. However, despite terminating her contact a month later, they continued with the application.

The same month Pandey registered a case at the High Court of Bombay (Mumbai) against Kundra for fraud and theft.

“I collaborated with the company for an app named after me in March 2019. We had agreed upon a certain percentage of the revenue generated by the app to be given to me, however, I realised certain discrepancies in revenuesharing and decided to terminate the contract. All hell had broken loose since,” she said in a statement.

She said the company continued to post her pictures and videos on the app.

“To my horror, they also leaked my personal mobile number along with messages like ‘Call me now as I am free to talk’ and ‘Let us talk and I will strip for you’ on the app,” she said.

Kundra and his wife Shetty are popular names in India. He is a well-known businessman and she’s a famous Bollywood actress, dancer, author, businesswoman and former model.

In 2009 the couple bought shares in the Indian Premier League cricket team Rajasthan Royals which they had until 2013. In 2013, the team was involved in a match-fixing controversy and was banned from the tournament for two years.

Kundra and Shetty live in Mumbai with their two children, Viaan and Samisha.

The couple got together after Kundra and his first wife, Kavita, who blamed Shetty for the divorce, ended their acrimonious relationship.

Last month, Kundra opened up to news site Pinkvilla, alleging that Kavita had been having an affair with his brother-in-law who lived with them at the time in the UK.

He alleged Kavita had also been paid a hefty amount to blame Shetty for their failed marriage.

“She grew very close to my ex brother-in-law, spending more and more time with him, especially when I was on business trips.

“Many of my family and even my driver would say ‘we sense something fishy between these two’ and I would never believe it. I gave my ex-wife the benefit of the doubt.

“She always brought out the worst in me and I think that’s evident from my past pictures and present. My family meant the world to me always but she would always fight and argue with everyone in my family,” he said.

As it stands Kundra faces charges including cheating and “obscene and indecent advertisements and displays”.

Charges under the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act have also been listed against him. According to India’s law, these could potentially lead to a fiveto seven-year prison sentence should he be found guilty.