Raj Kundra chargesheeted in Mumbai porn racket: UK-based bro-in-law Pardeep Bakshi, 3 more shown as “wanted”, “absconding”

MUMBAI: The Property Cell of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police on Wednesday filed a 1500 pages supplementary charge-sheet in a pornographic content case naming jailed businessman Raj Kundra, who was arrested in the case in July as the main accused and chief conspirator of what has come to be known as the Mumbai porn racket.

Kundra’s brother-in-law Pardeep Bakshi who is based in the UK, and 3 other persons are shown as “wanted” and “absconding” in the supplementary charge-sheet. This includes Yash Thakur aka Arvind Kumar Srivastav, main owner of the Nuefliks app and two others. Bakshi is shown as a partner and co-owner of Kenrin Ltd, the UK-based firm which allegedly purchased the HotShots app from Kundra for a consideration of 25,000 USD.

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Kundra is in judicial custody since his arrest on 19th July this year and was denied bail by various courts.

His bail application is pending in the Bombay High Court, but the NRI businessman will have to move the trial court at Esplande, for bail as his High Court application is now infructuous.

The nearly 1,500-page charge-sheet against Kundra, 45, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, and his associate Ryan Thorpe was filed before a magistrate court here by the Mumbai crime branch.

The Addl CMM (additional chief metropolitan magistrate) at the 37th Esplande court (also known as the Killa court) will take the charge-sheet on record either tomorrow or day after.

The duo have been booked under sections of the IPC related to sexual harassment and cheating, among others, as well provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

The crime branch, had in April this year, filed the first charge-sheet in the case against nine persons including actor Gehana Vasisth and Kundra’s PA Umesh Kamat whom he had designated as the Managing Director of his listed company Vian Industries Ltd.

Kundra and Thorpe were arrested by the Mumbai crime branch on July 19 and both are presently at the Arthur Road Jail also known as the Mumbai Central jail under judicial custody.

The case against Kundra related to alleged creation of pornographic films, distribution and publishing them through some apps.

With the charge-sheet being filed now, Kundra is likely to get bail in this case (Property Cell Crime Branch case) and could be released, provided the cops do not seek his custody in other pending cases.

Kundra was granted interim protection from arrest by the Bombay High Court in another case filed by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell. Yet another case, or the fourth FIR in the Mumbai porn racket, originally registered at the Malwani Police Station and transferred to the Property Cell is also under investigation by the Crime Branch. Though Kundra is not named as an accused in this fourth FIR, three directors including actor Gehana Vasisth’s names feature in this case.

Gehana Vasisth was recently denied anticipatory bail in this case by the Bombay High Court and the cops can seek Kundra’s custody in this case.