Business

Businessman Raj Kundra Deposed Before Enforcement Directorate

Sentinel Digital Desk

Mumbai: Raj Kundra, husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on Wednesday deposed before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar’s close aide late Iqbal Mirchi’s associates.

A senior ED official said, “Kundra will be questioned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the financial dealings with the arrested accused Ranjeet Singh Bindra.” The ED action comes after the central probe agency unearthed a real estate firm named RKW Developers Private Limited, controlled by Bindra, which had transactions with Essential Hospitality Limited where Kundra and Shetty are the directors.

According to the ED official, RKW Developers invested Rs 44.11 crore in Essential Hospitality and provided an interest-free loan of Rs 31.54 crore. The official said that over Rs 30.45 crore of the loan was granted to Essential Hospitality between April 2017 and March 2018 and Rs 117.17 crore between April 2016 and March 2017. The official said, “Kundra will be questioned about the nature of the transactions.” He further said that Kundra will also be questioned if he knew that Bindra was a close associate of the Mirchi and why it gave an interest-free loans to the Essential Hospitality.

Bindra, who was instrumental in the property deals worth Rs 225 crore of Mirchi and his family members and also securing an unsecured loan to the Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd to the tune of Rs 2,086 crore, was arrested on October 11. (IANS)