Prosecutor to Bombay HC: Cops seized 51 films in Raj Kundra case

MUMBAI: The public prosecutor on Saturday informed Bombay high court that “51 pornographic films were seized” from two apps by Mumbai crime branch and businessman Raj Kundra and Ryan Thorpe were arrested as they had “started deleting WhatsApp group and chats’’ and hence “destroying evidence”.
Public prosecutor Aruna Pai was opposing Kundra and Thorpe’s separate challenges to their arrest and remand which they said was “illegal” as there was “no compliance” to a Section 41A CrPC notice for their explanation, mandated when an offence attracts a maximum of seven years’ punishment.
At a hearing via video-conferencing before the bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari, Pai said the duo is accused of “serious offences of porn streaming content” and police “also seized material from phone and storage device”.
She said there was an “email message from Kundra on his Hotshot app with one Pardeep Bakshi , his brother-in-law, who owns a company in London...”
Police “found obscene and bold videos” and information on a number of subscribers and payments received, she said.
Pai further said, “During the course of investigation we added Section 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.”
Senior counsel Aabad Ponda for Kundra had, while arguing earlier, submitted that the police had not mentioned any deleting of chats in their first remand and questioned its non-inclusion if the police are now saying it.
The hearing was interrupted due to a technical glitch. As a result, by consent of all sides, the HC will now hear it on Monday at a physical hearing.