Bollywood actresses Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey have alleged that it was Shilpa Shetty’s husband, businessman Raj Kundra, who was instrumental in getting them into the adult film industry.
Poonam Pandey’s role in Kundra’s arrest
As per a report published on India.com, actress Poonam Pandey had a contract with Armsprime Media owned by Raj Kundra. His firm took care of the adult app owned by Pandey. However, when the contract between Pandey and Kundra ended eight months ago, he allegedly started using Pandey’s content indiscriminately.
When Poonam came to know about the unauthorized usage of the footage, she filed a complaint in the Bombay High Court against Kundra and his associates in Armsprime Media. She alleged that they used content illegally even after the contract was terminated. In reply to the allegations, Kundra and his associate, Saurabh Kushwah, denied using any of her content. They also said that they had not received any notice.
The story behind the contract between Poonam and Kundra
In 2019, Kundra invested in Armsprime Media that is a celebrity app. Pandey was a client allegedly for Rs 60 lakh. The contract was terminated a month later due to some payment issues, Pandey said. However, in a statement, Armsprime Media alleged that they terminated the contract as her content was too bold and her app was banned from the Google Play store.
Armsprime Media is in the business of developing apps for Indian models. Some of the prominent names in their client list include Sherlyn Chopra and Gehna Vashishta. Reportedly, Kundra sold his shares in the company to the founders last year. During questioning, he submitted documents related to his investment and exit from the company.
During that period, the company developed an app dubbed HotShots that had ‘hot’ photographs and videos of models like Gehana Vasisth. In February 2021, Mumbai Police raided a bungalow in Madh area, Malad (west) and arrested five accused of luring women and men on the pretext of roles in short films, web series and movies etc. One of the actresses who worked for them alleged that she was forced to do pornographic videos.
A case was registered under sections 292 of IPC, sections 67, 67A of Information Technology and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Rules 3 and 4. A total of 11 people were arrested in the case. All of them, including Gehana Vasisht, was granted bail last month. Earlier, producer Ekta Kapoor’s statement was also recorded in the matter in March 2021.
Poonam and Sherlyn blamed Kundra for their entry into the adult industry
Reportedly, both Poonam Pandey and Sherlyn Chopra have alleged that Kundra was responsible for their entry into the adult industry. During the investigation, it was revealed that Sherlyn was paid Rs 30 lakh for each project, and so far, she had done 15-20 projects for Kundra.
On July 19, actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, Raj Kundra, was arrested by Mumbai Police for his alleged role in creating and publishing pornographic films on some mobile applications. As per reports, he had appeared before the Property Cell of Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch for questioning, after which he was placed under arrest. Kundra was taken for medical examination at JJ Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said, “Businessman Raj Kundra has been arrested by the Crime Branch in a case relating to the creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps. He appears to be the key conspirator. We have sufficient evidence regarding this. We have arrested Raj Kundra in this case on July 19, 2021, as he appears to be the key conspirator of this. We have sufficient evidence regarding this. The investigation is in progress, please.”
