ED grills Raj Kundra for 10 hours in Bitcoin scam case

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty’s businessman husband Raj Kundra for over 10 hours in connection with a Bitcoin-related money laundering case.

ED officials are ascertaining if the couple have  been a beneficiary of the scam. The marathon questioning began around 11.30 am.

The probe pertains to the Pune police case against one Amit Bhardwaj, the founder of the company Gain Bitcoin who had allegedly duped over 8,000 people in the name of investing in the cryptocurrency.

The Pune and Delhi police have arrested Bhardwaj, and ED officials said that there were alleged Bitcoin transactions between Mr Kundra and Bharadwaj. The officials said that Bharadwaj would mine Bitcoin in China and wanted investors to invest in them. He held several events in Dubai and other locations to seek investments.

“The investors bought mined Bitcoin and invested them in Gain Bitcoin. We are seeking clarity on a transaction between Mr Kundra and Bharadwaj to ascertain its nature and to find out if Mr Kundra is a beneficiary or a victim,” said a senior ED officer.

The ED questioned Mr Kundra till beyond 9.30 pm, however the officials were tight-lipped over the revelations made by the actor’s husband. The ED may summon him for questioning again.  

Bhardwaj and his colleagues started the Ponzi scheme website, gainbitcoin.com, and duped investors in Mumbai, Pune, Nanded and Kolhapur. The quantum of the fraud is stated to be to the tune of at least Rs 2,000 crore. In the wake of demonetisation in 2016, some people allegedly exchanged old notes for Bitcoin with an 8 to 10 per cent margin. The ED was asked to conduct a thorough investigation in the case after the matter was brought up in the state Assembly. The agency is probing the money-laundering aspect by ascertaining the money trail of the defrauded money.

Bhardwaj wanted to buy a team in the Indian Poker League, which Mr Kundra had started however the contract was terminated due to non-payment of dues. There was no transaction between the duo, Kundra claimed. “I was questioned as a witness and I have become one in the case. There was no transaction between me and Bharadwaj,” said Mr Kundra following the questioning.

The ED has also come across several promotional videos of several Bollywood and small-screen female actors who attended the promotional musical events at Dubai. They performed in the dance events and promoted Gain Bitcoin. The agency is looking into this angle.