Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai police on Monday in an alleged connection to the creation of pornographic films and their publication through mobile apps. However, this isn't Kundra's first run-in with the law. Here is a countdown of some of the times Raj Kundra has been in the news:
Hit and Run Case: February 2021
The Cubban Park traffic police reportedly registered a hit and run case in February after a speeding Audi rammed into an auto-rickshaw and a few other vehicles. The police then traced the Audi R8 to Raj Kundra, whose manager informed that he'd sold the car to a dealer two months ago.
However, the police had reportedly said, "We identified the owner through RTO officials in Mumbai as Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra. His manager told us that the car was sold in January to a car dealer in Bengaluru. The vehicle’s papers were still in Kundra’s name and were yet to be changed."
The police later identified that the car dealer Mohammed Sadab was at the wheel and was booked for reckless driving.
Malotia Textiles Cheating Case: April 2017
In April 2017, a criminal case was lodged against Raj Kundra and wife Shilpa Shetty in a Thane police station for allegedly cheating the owner of a textile firm of 24 lacs. The case was filed under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.
The FIR claimed that Big Deals, a company of which Raj and Shilpa are directors, allegedly sold bed sheets through TV and after collecting the money on behalf of Malotia textiles, didn't pay the manufacturers.
Banned From IPL for Life: 2015
Raj Kundra, the former owner of Rajasthan Royals, was banned for life from the Indian Premiere League (IPL) for his alleged involvement in betting. In 2013, the Delhi police arrested RR players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankit Chavan for alleged match fixing.
After that, RR was suspended from the tournament for two seasons. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was also suspended for the same time period after the investigation revealed that owner Gurunath Meiyappan was also involved.
Raj Kundra later moved the Supreme Court asking for the ban to be lifted after the Delhi Police gave him a clean chit.
BCCI Forces Raj Kundra to Withdraw from Celebrity Classico: October 2017
After the 2013 controversy, Raj Kundra became a persona non grata for the BCCI. In 2017, Virat Kohli and actor Abhishek Bachchan led the second edition of the charity celebrity football match Celebrity Classico.
The event hosted a variety of celebrities but BCCI said that they'd not allow any Indian cricketers to participate in the sports event if Raj Kundra was featured. He withdrew from Celebrity Classico but, in an interview, Kundra said that he was unhappy with the decision.
Bitcoin Money Laundering Case: June 2018
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on 5 June 2018, questioned Raj Kundra in connection to a money laundering probe related to the bitcoin transactions case, according to officials. The ED had registered a criminal case against the bitcoin-based investment website GainBitcoin under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case was registered against GainBitcoin founder Amit Bhardwaj and eight others. 8,000 investors allegedly lost approximately Rs. 2000 crore in the scheme.
Iqbal Mirchi Money Laundering Case: October 2019
On 28 October 2019, officials said that businessman Raj Kundra was summoned by the ED in relation to a money laundering probe against gangster Iqbal Mirchi and others. The agency was reportedly looking into Raj Kundra's purported dealing with a Ranjeet Bindra and a firm called Bastian Hospitality.
Kundra had denied any wrongdoing in his business dealings. The ED had conducted multiple raids in relation to the PMLA case. It was also reported that Essential Hospitality Limited, of which Raj and Shilpa are directors, had received loans from RKW Developers Private Ltd, which had Bindra on its board.
Delay in TDS Payment by Shilpa & Raj: October 2020
Back in October 2021, Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty were summoned by the Ballard Pier magistrate's court in two separate cases of delay in tax deducted at source (TDS) payments by the company Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd. The company's chief financial officer was also sent a summons.
Special public prosecutor Amit Munde had told the court that the delayed payments amounted to Rs 88.8 lacs TDS in 2015-16, and Rs 58.8 lacs TDS in 2016-17. In response to the show-case notices, Shilpa Shetty Kundra had said that all activities were handled by the managing director and other managerial personnel and the couple were not aware of TDS defaults.
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