ED raids premises linked to actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra as part of money laundering probe

Mumbai: As part of a money laundering investigation into the creation and dissemination of pornographic material via mobile apps, the Enforcement Directorate has searched locations connected to Raj Kundra, the husband of actress Shilpa Shetty, and a number of other individuals. According to the individuals who spoke to news agency PTI, searches are underway at around 15 sites in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai.

As part of a money laundering probe connected to the Gain Bitcoin Ponzi Scam, the ED seized Raj Kundra’s assets earlier this year, including stock shares, a house in Pune, and a residential apartment in Juhu, Mumbai, totaling Rs 98 crore.

The legal issues resulted from an investigation that the ED started in 2018 to look into Amit Bharadwaj’s possible participation in a Ponzi scheme. Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra were informed in April 2024 that their assets were being temporarily attached as part of the probe, even though they were not originally identified as suspects. Raj and Shilpa both insisted on their innocence and that they had completely cooperated with the ED’s inquiry. Raj has personally responded to many summonses, while Shilpa has submitted supporting evidence via her designated agents.

The Bombay High Court granted temporary reprieve by halting the eviction order when the couple later contested the ED’s notice to leave their properties, which included a farmland close to Pune and their Mumbai home in Juhu.

Four women alleged that they were coerced into filming pornographic material after being offered an acting role in a web series, which led to Kundra’s arrest by the Mumbai Police in July 2021. In September, he was freed from Arthur Jail.