Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch late on Monday night arrested businessman Raj Kundra in connection with his alleged role in a pornographic video racket. The Mumbai police officials confirmed his arrest and alleged that he was a 'key conspirator.’ They also claimed that they have sufficient evidence against him.
Kundra was picked up from his office at Vira Desai Road in Andheri, said sources. He will be produced before the Esplanade court on Tuesday.
He has been booked under IPC sections pertaining to obscene content (292 and 293) and cheating (420), sections 67, 67A of the Information Technology Act, and under sections 2(g), 3, 4, 6 & 7 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, in a case registered at Malwani police station on February 4 this year.
The crime branch had earlier arrested a model coordinator, Umesh Kamat, 35, in the case, who is a former employee of Kundra, said the police. Kamat was a representative of a UK-based production house Kenrin and is accused of uploading at least seven to eight “porn and obscene” videos shot by model and actor Gehana Vasisth on a social media app for profit.
In February this year, the Property Cell had busted a racket involving recordings of pornographic videos of newcomers on the pretext of promising them roles in a web series. Days after the racket was busted, the crime branch had arrested Vasisth, 35, and Kamat.
As per police sources, Kamat was associated with Kundra and soon after his arrest, Kundra allegedly came under their lens.
According to the police, Vasisth runs a production house and records and sends pornographic videos to Kamat, who then uploads these videos on porn sites using foreign IP addresses. The videos were allegedly uploaded on mobile apps in the UK such as Eightshots, Nuefliks and HotHit.
In February the Property Cell raided a bungalow in Madh, Malvani, while they were allegedly shooting a porn film.
A statement issued by Gehana Vasisth, released by her publicist Flynn Remedios on Raj Kundra's arrest, read, "The law will take its course. We have full faith in Mumbai police, which is doing a good job. The courts will eventually decide during trial as to who are the real culprits, and which accused were merely used, by others. Further to this, I don't want to comment any more, as I am on bail in the same cases and I do not want to prejudice or impair my right to my personal defence. However, the police should investigate fully as there are many more skeletons in the cupboards."