Raj Kundra appears before ED in Iqbal Mirchi PMLA case

Mumbai: Businessman Raj Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, appeared before the ED on Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering probe against late gangster Iqbal Mirchi and others, officials said.

They said Kundra arrived at the Enforcement Directorate office here in Ballard Pier area at about 11 am. He was asked by the agency to appear on November 4 but it is understood that he sought an early date to depose owing to some engagement at that time. The agency is expected to record his statement under the anti-money laundering law.

The proceedings in the case are being conducted under the criminal provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The central probe agency is looking at Kundra's purported dealings with Ranjeet Bindra and a firm called Bastian Hospitality in connection with this case. Some business dealings between the two need detailed information and hence the summons, they said.  Bindra has been arrested by the agency in this case sometime back.

Kundra has earlier denied any wrongdoing in these business dealings. The businessman has similarly been grilled by the agency last year in connection with a bitcoin scam case.  Mirchi, who died in 2013 in London, was alleged to be the right-hand man of global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim in drug trafficking and extortion crimes.

The ED has filed a criminal case against Mirchi, his family and others to probe money laundering charges for alleged illegal dealings in purchase and sale of costly real estate assets in Mumbai.  

The PMLA case is based on multiple Mumbai Police FIRs and the ED has conducted multiple raids in this case over the last few months.