Shilpa Shetty’s husband and businessman, Raj Kundra, appeared before a Mumbai special court on Friday after being summoned in a money laundering case linked to the GainBitcoin cryptocurrency scam. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recently filed a supplementary chargesheet in the matter, prompting the court to issue the summons. The case involves allegations of a Rs 60 crore fraud against Kundra and Shetty, claims that Kundra has previously denied. The proceedings fall under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Raj Kundra greets paparazzi with a smile outside court
In the ANI footage, Raj is spotted entering the court alongside his lawyer. He is seen dressed in a grey t-shirt matched with black monkey pants. He greets the paparazzi with a smile.
Raj Kundra case also involves Dubai businessman
The special court has summoned Dubai businessman Rajesh Ram Satija over his alleged links to the case. In the order, as reported by Bollywood Hungama, the judge remarked, “A prima facie case has been made out to take cognisance and to proceed against accused Nos. 17 and 18 (Kundra and Rajesh Satija) for the offence under Section 3 … of the PMLA and to issue process against them.”
Raj Kundra case linked to GainBitcoin cryptocurrency fraud
At the core of the case is the GainBitcoin cryptocurrency program, a mining and investment setup blamed for swindling thousands of investors all over India. Authorities say Amit Bhardwaj, who has passed away, ran the whole operation. It allegedly hooked people with vows of huge Bitcoin mining gains that never happened.
ED alleges Raj Kundra obtained Bitcoins from scam
The Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet accuses Raj of obtaining 285 Bitcoins as crime proceeds directly from Amit Bhardwaj, valued at over Rs 150 crore during the agency’s evaluation. These assets, tied to the GainBitcoin fraud, were held by Kundra without any convincing proof of their legal origin, according to the ED. Far from just facilitating, he allegedly served as a “beneficial owner” in the scheme. A deal for five Juhu flats in Mumbai, registered to Shilpa and sold suspiciously cheap compared to market rates, has also raised red flags as a likely money-laundering tactic.
Raj Kundra denies all money laundering allegations
Earlier, in his statement, Kundra firmly denied the Rs 60 crore fraud allegations against him and Shilpa, rejecting them outright. He argued that the claims lack any legal foundation and are wrongly being framed as criminal. The statement added, “We categorically deny the baseless and motivated allegations being circulated. The issues sought to be raised are being given a criminal colour without any lawful basis. A Quashing Petition has already been filed before the Hon’ble High Court and is pending adjudication.”
