Mumbai Police Files Chargesheet Against Raj Kundra And His Associate In Pornography Racket Case, UK Based Brother In Law Shown As Absconding

Two others including Kundra's brother-in-law Pradeep Bakshi have been shown as absconding in the charge sheet. The charge sheet cites more than 40 statements, including that of Shilpa Shetty.

This is the first supplementary charge sheet in the case, with the first charge sheet filed in April this year.

The police have so far arrested 11 accused in the case which came to light in February this year after a raid on a bungalow in one of the western suburbs of Mumbai. Nine of the accused arrested earlier in the case were charge-sheeted in April before the Esplanade Metropolitan Court.

Kundra and Thorpe were arrested by the Mumbai Police's Crime Branch on July 19, 2021 and have been booked under sections 354(C) (Voyeurism), 292 (sale of obscene content), 293 (sale of obscene objects to persons under 20 years of age), 420 (cheating), 201(destruction of evidence) of the IPC and Sections 66E, 67, 67A (transmission of sexually explicit material) of the IT Act and sections of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986.

Kundra is said to be one of the main accused in the case. The police have cited emails, WhatsApp chats between Kundra and other accused and details of 24 hard disks seized from the office of Viaan Industries, owned by Kundra, in Andheri. Details related to bank accounts and the Hotshots app, where the alleged porn content was being uploaded and sold, and was eventually removed by Google and Apple, have also been cited.

According to the police's case, Kenrin Private Limited, a UK-based company, owned the Hotshots app, and investigations revealed that Kundra, through Viaan industries, was managing the app. Kundra's company Arms Prime Media Ltd is alleged to have developed and sold 'Hotshots App' to Kenrin Pvt Ltd, which is owned by Kundra's relative Pradip Bakshi "to earn money by streaming porn content on social media."

The police claimed that Kundra's active role was revealed as employees of his company Viaan Industries maintained the Hotshots App and got remuneration from Kenrin Pvt Ltd.