Raj Kundra in 3-day custody; old 'porn tweets' return to haunt him

Twitterati are digging out old tweets posted by Raj Kundra, actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, and they are going viral on social media, as the high-profile businessman has been recently arrested in Mumbai in a pornography case and sent to judicial custody till July 23.

Kundra, who was earlier linked to IPL match-fixing charges, was arrested for allegedly making pornographic films and publishing them through apps.

One of Kundra’s tweets being used to mock his current situation and making the rounds on social media has to do with a question he had posed in 2012, about why pornography is legal while prostitution is not, said a NDTV report.

“Ok so here go’s Porn Vs Prostitution. Why is it legal to pay someone for sex on camera? How is one different to the other?? (sic),” Raj Kundra had tweeted on March 2012.

Answer mil gaya kya sir??

— Yuvraj vairagad ? (Nationalist)? (@YVairagad) July 19, 2021

Reposting that tweet, several twitter users made sarcastic comments like, “answer mil gaya, sir? (have you got the answer now?), while another twitter user said, “I guess you have figured out the difference eh?” Many called it “ironic”, and felt the tweet would go viral now after his arrest by the Mumbai Police.

Kundra, was also trolled for his Twitter bio which read, “Life is about making the right choices”. Reposting the tweet, one twitter user said, “and boy what a choice he has made”. Another netizen wrote, “Phew! Chalo at least we now know what he does for a living….”While yet another posting a pic of Shashi Tharoor and Shilpa Shetty during a cosy chat cheekily said that Shashi Tharoor is auditioning for a role in Raj Kundra movies!

Shashi Tharoor auditioning for a Role in Raj Kundra movies #RajKundra pic.twitter.com/IP2HfgOSex

— Rosy (@rose_k01) July 20, 2021

In an another tweet in 2012 in May, he had said, “India: Actors are playing cricket, Cricketers are playing politics, Politicians are watching porn and Porn stars are becoming actors….!”

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What is the case against Raj Kundra which led to his arrest?

In February this year, the Mumbai police had arrested five people after a woman filed a police complaint stating that she was forced to act in a porn film, after being promised an acting job. Aspiring actresses, coming from various parts of the country, would be told they would be shooting for a web series. But on the day of the shoot, the script would be changed and they would find themselves in a porn shoot. They would be threatened and coerced to do the film, said the police according to an Indian Express report.

Once the porn films were allegedly shot, the accused transferred them using WeTransfer to the UK and released them on paid mobile apps, offering subscriptions.

According to Mumbai police, the shoots would normally happen at a rented bungalow on the outskirts of Mumbai, like Madh Island, or in hotel rooms. There would be a minimal staff of five to six people who would double up as directors, dialogue writers, locations scouters and web app developers.

These apps had ostensibly gained traction during the lockdown, with some even notching up a subscriber base in lakhs, added the IE report quoting Mumbai police.

The Mumbai police crime branch has arrested Kundra for being the alleged “key conspirator” in making these pornographic films and publishing them through mobile applications.

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How did Kundra get implicated in the case?

According to the Mumbai Police commissioner, Hemant Nagrale, in a statement said, “There was a case registered with Crime Branch Mumbai in February 2021 about the creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some Apps. We’ve arrested Mr Raj Kundra in this case on 19/7/21 as he appears to be the key conspirator of this.”

The businessman, was questioned after a Umesh Kamat, arrested for uploading obscene videos through a UK firm, Kenrin, named him. Kundra and his brother had allegedly set up the company and registered in the UK so it could evade Indian cyber-laws, said media reports.

Though it is legal to watch pornography in private, laws against publishing and transmitting “obscene material” are tough in the country. Nine arrests have been made so far in the pornography case. Kundra’s close aide Ryan Thorpe was arrested today.

Kundra, who had also launched an app called Jaldi Live, on the lines of TikTok, has denied any wrongdoing and sought anticipatory bail in the case.

Meanwhile, Shilpa Shetty’s comeback Bollywood film, ‘Hungama 2’, a Priyadarshan directorial, is all set for an OTT release on July 23.