Raj Kundra Arrest: How Indian Porn Industry Is Being Operated Through Apps Hosted Outside India

NEW DELHI: The arrest of actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband and businessman Raj Kundra has opened a Pandora’s box and exposed how the Indian porn industry was being operated through apps hosted outside India.

Raj Kundra’s arrest for making pornographic films comes months after a series of allegations levelled against him by one Sagrika Shona Suman, who was supported by other actresses.

Suman, a Mumbai-based actress, claimed on February 13 this year that Kundra is the real brain behind the porn racket. “For the past year, everyone in the industry has referred to Hotshots App as Raj Kundra’s company.”The money and paper trail may be difficult to find, but it is undeniably there,” Suman stated.

She claimed she was approached several times by arrested accused Umesh Kamat, who openly claimed to work for Kundra and to be the owner of Hotshots and Kenrin, two other porn apps.

Kundra had previously invested Rs 10 crore in Navi Mumbai-based IT firm Armsprime, which developed mobile Apps for adult actresses such as Sherlyn Chopra, Poonam Pandey, Gehana Vasisth, and hundreds more, according to multiple media reports. All these apps are used to circulate nude videos.

The Hotshots operation, led by Umesh Kamat, a former property agent or broker, was sourcing soft porn videos from various content developers.

HOW THE PORN INDUSTRY IS BEING OPERATED THROUGH APPS:

Porn websites are flooded with Indian web series videos. According to investigators, the gang used to produce these porn films as web series in Mumbai flats and apartments, then upload them to OTT platforms registered outside India to avoid local laws.

Since such platforms are illegal in India, these paid OTT platforms that stream erotic and softcore adult movies are registered in other countries and only cater to locally-made movies.

Previously, Cyber Crimes investigators discovered that such platforms have seen massive growth in India since the 2020 lockdown.

Cyber experts claim that there are multiple websites full of erotic Indian content but hosted outside India to avoid coming under police radar. Topics like Desi Web Series, Desi Models are trending on popular x-rated websites.

Many aspiring and struggling Indian models have floated paid applications where they strip and post naked videos against payment of money by the members. They go live via their app and indulge in the sexual act. A rate slab is decided for each act. Those who pay extra money get exclusive access to nude videos.

Indian law enforcement agencies have been keeping a track of such illegal activities and are decoding the web of the money trail.

Mumbai police have found Raj Kundra routed his money via London with the help of his relative and other associates.

Poonam Pandey And Sherlyn Chopra’s Connection:

In the aftermath of Raj Kundra’s arrest, details of actress-model Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey’s statements to the Maharasthra Cyber Cell in the case have gone viral on the internet.

The two were previously linked to the soft porn case, and in their statement, they admitted that Raj Kundra introduced them to the adult industry.

Other specifics include Sherlyn was paid Rs 30 lakh for each project, and she had completed 15 to 20 projects for Raj Kundra so far.

According to a report, Poonam Pandey worked for Raj Kundra’s company Armsprime Media. This firm handled the work of various types of apps, and Poonam Pandey was one of Raj’s clients. Poonam Pandey’s app was an adult app, and Raj Kundra’s firm used to handle her app’s work. Despite the fact that the contract expired 8 months ago, Poonam Pandey claims that Raj Kundra’s company is still using her movies and footage in an indiscriminate manner.

Meanwhile, lawyers for several accused arrested by the Crime Branch’s Property Cell in February claimed that no crime was committed because all participants or models were adults who consented in writing and signed contracts as well as video contracts to participate in the shoots.

Except for three or four disgruntled models whose sole goal is to extort large sums from celebrities like Kundra, none of the other “actors” who allegedly shot the porn videos have filed any complaints.

Kundra was arrested by Mumbai police on Monday in connection with the alleged creation of porn and publication of it through various apps, according to a senior official.