Raj Kundra gained economically from porn; allow maximum custody: Mumbai police tells court

The Mumbai police's property cell told the court today that actor Shilpa Shetty's husband and businessman Raj Kundra was economically gaining by making porn videos and selling pornographic material.

Police said there's a lot of foreign currency in the account of his company Vian. It said the case needs to be investigated thoroughly and Kundra needs to be confronted with other accused.

The police sought maximum custody of Kundra and Ryan John, the tech man arrested in the case. Advocate Abaad Ponda, appearing for Kundra, argued the police seeking Kundra's custody is "illegal", and that it should not be granted.

Police argued that further investigation can't be carried out without taking Kundra into custody.

Cops have registered a case under Section 420 and 67-A  -- among other sections -- both of which are non-bailable and fetch 7-year and 5-year jail, respectively.

The police had registered a case on February 5, but Kundra's premises were searched last night and he was subsequently arrested.

Ponda argued in the court that police did not give summons under Section 41 before seeking his statement, but rather arrested him without giving an opportunity to tell his side of the story.

Kundra was arrested on Monday late night in a case related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through apps. Kundra (45) appears to be the "key conspirator" in the case, the officials said.

The businessman was taken into custody by the Crime Branch on Monday after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act, he said. An FIR was registered against Kundra after a woman approached the police and made certain allegations in her complaint.

Kundra was booked under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays), and relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

Also read: Raj Kundra arrested in case related to creation of porn films