Was busy with work, did not know what Raj Kundra was up to: Shilpa Shetty to Mumbai Police

The case against Kundra, arrested in July this year, is related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty in a statement to Mumbai police claimed she was not aware of her husband Raj Kundra's activities as she was busy with her work, according to a supplementary chargesheet filed by the city police in a court here in connection with a case pertaining to pornographic films.

Shetty's statement is part of the nearly 1,500-page chargesheet filed before a magistrate court on Wednesday by the police against Kundra, 46, and his associate Ryan Thorpe.

The case against Kundra, arrested in July this year, is related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.

According to the chargesheet, Shetty told the police that she did not know anything about the HotShots and Bollywood Fame apps, allegedly used by the accused for uploading and streaming obscene content.

"In 2015, Kundra started VIAAN industries Limited which made animation, cartoon and apps. I had 24.5 per cent share. I was director in that company from 2005 to July 2020. I resigned from the board due to personal reasons," Shetty said in her statement.

Shetty also said that one of the accused in the pornography racket, Umesh Kamat, use to work with VIAAN. "After his arrest in February, I asked Kundra about the same and he said that he was working with Gehna Vasisth to make obscene films and was selling them. I didn't know about the Bollyfame OTT app till then. Today I came to know that, HotShots app was made by VIAAN. I was busy in my own work and never asked what Kundra was doing, and hence I had no idea about this (porn racket)," she added.

Another actor Sherly Chopra, in her statement, told the police that Kundra had asked her to work for the HotShots app "without any hesitation".

Also read: Raj Kundra main facilitator in porn films case, earned millions: Chargesheet

She was told that the HotShots app would have more bold and hot videos, but Chopra refused, the chargesheet said.

Chopra further told the police that she had signed a contract with the firm Armsprime Media Pvt Ltd for creating the mobile app named 'The Sherlyn Chopra App'.Saurabh Kushwaha and Raj Kundra were directors of the firm, she told the police.

Chopra claimed that as per the agreement, she was to get 50 per cent of the revenue, but she never got her share, said the chargesheet.

Another witness Sejal Shah told the police that she made three films for the HotShots app during the lockdown in March 2020.

Later, Yash Thakur, an accused in the case, asked her to work in a movie, which he claimed to be the remake of a Hollywood film. She was told that it will have very "bold and erotic" scenes, but the film won't be screened in India.

But, the movie was shown in India and when she asked to delete the bold scenes, Thakur refused, she claimed in her police statement which is part of the charge sheet.

Yash Thakur, a resident of Singapore, and London-based Pardeep Bakshi have been shown as wanted accused in the chargesheet.

The case is related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.

In April this year, the crime branch filed the first chargesheet in the case against nine people.

In the voluminous document, the police have said the probe conducted by the property cell of the crime branch has revealed that Kundra was the "main facilitator" in the porn films case.

A lot of evidences against Kundra came to light after technical analysis, statements of witnesses and from documents confiscated from his office, it said.

The police said Kundra and Thorpe, in conspiracy with accused arrested earlier, took advantage of financially weak young women who were struggling in the film industry and made obscene movies with them.

The pornographic videos were then uploaded on various websites as well as mobile applications, they said.

These videos were sold through subscriptions and Kundra "illegally" earned millions from them, said the chargesheet.

Kundra and Thorpe were arrested by the Mumbai crime branch on July 19 and are currently in jail under judicial custody.

Their bail pleas are pending before a Mumbai sessions court.

(With inputs from Faizan Khan)