Pornography case: ED quizzes actress Gehana Vashisht for second day

Actress Gehna Vashisht outside the ED office. Pic/Shadab Khan

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday continued grilling actress Gehana Vashisht in connection with the pornography case involving Raj Kundra and others. Vashisht is currently under the agency's scanner in its money laundering probe linked to the making and distribution of pornography.

Sources said that the ED is scrutinising whether the payments Vashisht received were part of a larger money-laundering operation orchestrated through the alleged pornography racket.

Vashisht, who was questioned for seven hours on Monday, returned to the ED office for further interrogation on Tuesday. On the second day of her interrogation, Gehna was questioned for nearly six hours, during which the officials continued recording her statement as well and asked her to appear again when required.

Speaking to the press after the interrogation, Gehna said that the ED officials are yet to retrieve data from her mobile and that is why she was being summoned again and again.

The ED is investigating payments made to her by Kenrin Limited, a London-based company owned by Kundra's brother-in-law, Pradeep Bakshi, who is a wanted accused in the case. Vashisht allegedly received multiple payments from Kenrin Limited for pornographic films shot in India and transferred to London, where they were allegedly uploaded on various platforms.

However, Vashisht has maintained her stance that the films she worked on were erotica, not pornography. She said the ED's questioning revolved around her financial transactions and her connections with Kundra and Kenrin Limited.

Vashisht was previously arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch in February 2021. During that time, she spent over three months in jail.

Recently, in November, ED raided multiple locations associated with Kundra in connection with the money laundering case tied to the alleged production and distribution of pornographic and adult content.

The ED's investigation focuses on the alleged use of the "Hotshots" app, which was reportedly operated by Armsprime Media Pvt Ltd, a company founded by Kundra. WhatsApp chats retrieved from Kundra's phone allegedly revealed discussions about financial transactions and plans to sell adult films for $1.2 million.

Questions asked by the ED:

Do you know Raj Kundra?
How do you know Raj Kundra?
How many films have you made for HotShots?
How much were you paid per film?
Was Raj Kundra the owner of HotShots?
How many times have you met Raj Kundra?
How do you know Umesh Kamat? (Kamat was the MD of HotShots.)
How much money have you earned from HotShots?
Through whom did you meet Umesh Kamat?