Raj Kundra to remain in jail, Cops: He may 'tamper with evidence' and 'influence the witnesses'

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband and businessman Raj Kundra’s Police custody has been extended for the third time. The recent update comes after the sessions court on Tuesday deferred his bail hearing till August 20, over charges of the production and uploading of pornographic content.

The 45-year-old businessman was arrested on July 19 for the creation, production of porn films and he was also touted to be one of the key conspirators in this case.

The extended 14-judicial custody ended on Tuesday, however, the court deferred the hearing after the crime branch reportedly listed out 19 reasons to oppose it. According to the recent Mid-Day report, the crime branch informed that Kundra was not cooperating in the case and as the investigation continues, a lot of evidence is yet to be collected while alleging that many more witnesses and victims were coming forward to record their testimony.

Kundra’s bail was opposed by the crime branch and noted that Kundra is an influential person, he may 'tamper with evidence' and 'influence the witnesses'. They also pointed out that since he is a British citizen, they couldn't rule out the possibility of him fleeing the country.

Kiran Bidve, Investigating officer, was quoted by Times of India who said that Kundra destroyed a lot of evidence prior to his arrest and cited that he could erase more evidence, if granted bail.

The plea said the accused named in the charge sheet are out on bail, adding that the magistrate's court "erred" in rejecting his bail earlier. 

"The entire order is based on conjectures and surmises and deserves to be set aside. The magistrate failed to appreciate that there is no material against the applicant to even show his alleged involvement in the alleged offence," Kundra's plea added.

The reply also was controlling the HotShots app, through London-registered Kenrin Limited, which belongs to his brother-in-law Pradeep Bakshi. The Crime Branch official also stated that Bakshi is now also wanted in the case, and Kundra is likely to influence him if granted bail in the pornography case might influence him.

As per the recent report, the police also cited the rejection of Kundra’s plea, challenging his arrest, by the Bombay High Court.