Raj Kundra sent to 14-day judicial custody in porn racket case

A metropolitan magistrate in Mumbai on Tuesday (July 27) sent Raj Kundra, actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, and his IT head Ryan Thorpe to judicial custody for 14 days in a porn racket case, media reports said.

Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Police on July 19 along with 10 others on charges related to the alleged production of pornographic films.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court will hear Kundra’s plea challenging “illegal arrest” and seeking quashing of the lower court’s order. The HC has granted anticipatory bail to model-actors Poonam Pandey and Sherlyn Chopra, stating that no coercive action will be taken against the duo till September 20.

Also read: Police investigating Raj Kundra’s links to 3-4 other porn apps: Official

Kundra’s police custody, which ended on July 23, was extended by the court till July 27.

The Mumbai Police had sought Kundra’s further custody. Kundra was produced before the magistrate court at the end of his police remand on Tuesday. He has moved the court for bail and his plea was kept for hearing on Wednesday (July 27).

Raj Kundra, whom the Mumbai Police describe as a “key conspirator”, has been charged with cheating, and obscene and indecent advertisements and displays, under various IPC sections. The police have also used the IT Act and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act against him.

Media reports said citing officials that Kundra was anticipating his arrest after the property cell of the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch arrested nine people in the porn racket case in March. Kundra had a ‘Plan B’ ready to escape the investigation, the officials said.

“Kundra had changed his phone in March so that no data would be recovered. When Crime Branch officials asked him about his old phone, he told them he threw it away. The police believe that the old phone contained many important pieces of evidence and are looking for it,” an official was quoted as saying.

Also read: Porn & ‘Erotica’ content in OTT world, a grey area

Meanwhile, police sources said Shilpa Shetty shouted at her husband and wept when the police brought him home for the first time since his arrest, NDTV reported.

“We have everything, what was the need to do all this,” the actor told Kundra when he came home on Friday (July 23) evening.

The police also took a statement from Shetty as they searched the couple’s bungalow.

Sources claim the actor broke down on seeing her husband and said that the “family’s reputation was ruined, their endorsements in the industry were being cancelled and that she had to give up many projects”. She also talked about financial losses, the sources said.