New Delhi:
Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra on Wednesday reached the Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai in connection with the ongoing probe in underworld don Iqbal Mirchi case. Kundra arrived at the ED office at around 11 am. He was summoned by the ED on Monday to for questioning in a money laundering case related to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's close aide late Iqbal Mirchi. Officials said Kundra’s statement is expected to be recorded once he appears. The proceedings are being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.
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, the officials said. Bindra has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case sometime back.
Kundra had earlier denied any wrongdoing in these business dealings. Mirchi, who died in 2013 in London, is 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.
Previously, in one of the biggest arrests in the ongoing crackdown on D Company, the Enforcement Directorate held gangster Iqbal Mirchi’s close aide Humayun Merchant in Mumbai. Merchant was involved on behalf of Mirchi in one of the costly property deals in posh Worli locality. Reports say that Merchant used to take care of Iqbal Mirchi’s clandestine real estate business in and around Mumbai. In fact, Merchant also had the power of attorney. He used to frequently fly between Mumbai and London. He was the main go-to person for the gangster for purchasing properties specifically in south Mumbai. Merchant is also reportedly connected to the Wadhwans, who are the prime accused in the PMC bank fraud.
