September 27, 2025

Hold on tight because the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has dropped a bombshell! Businessman Raj Kundra is now facing serious charges in a bitcoin-linked money laundering case. Why? The ED alleges Kundra was not just any middleman but the "beneficial owner" of a whopping 285 Bitcoins. These Bitcoins are worth a massive ₹150.47 crore and were received from the late Amit Bhardwaj, who ran a big crypto scam. According to the ED, Kundra played a clever game. He allegedly kept crucial details a secret, including the Bitcoin wallet addresses. The chargesheet states he "deliberately concealed important evidence" and refused to hand back the Bitcoins from Bhardwaj. So, Kundra stayed in "possession and enjoyment" of these crypto gains, says the ED. The story gets spicier! The agency revealed that Kundra made a financial deal with his famous wife, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. The chargesheet claims, "He did a genuine transaction with his actor wife Shilpa Shetty at far below market rate to disguise the origin of such funds obtained by commission of criminal activities." Using Shilpa's name was possibly a sneaky way to hide where the money really came from. This case is part of a bigger mess involving Amit Bhardwaj and his company Variable Tech Pvt Ltd. They allegedly promised investors huge returns through crypto mining but pulled off a scam instead. The Bitcoins were hidden in tricky online wallets. Kundra supposedly got those 285 Bitcoins to set up a Bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine, but when the plan failed, he still kept the Bitcoins. The ED’s chargesheet is clear, stating, "the agreement was actually between Raj Kundra and Amit Bhardwaj (his father Mahender Bhardwaj) and the argument given by Kundra that he acted as a mere mediator is not tenable." Kundra’s claim that he was just a middleman doesn’t hold water! Adding to the drama, Kundra failed to provide the Bitcoin wallet addresses despite being asked many times since 2018. When investigators pressed him, Kundra said his iPhone X — which had the wallet info — got damaged after his first statement. The ED wasn’t impressed, calling this a "deliberate attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the proceeds of crime." Interestingly, Kundra still remembers the exact number of Bitcoins he received in five parts, even after seven years. The ED says this memory proof that he was the real owner, not just a mediator. It’s not just Kundra — businessman Rajesh Satija is also named in this thrilling chargesheet. As the case unfolds, the crypto world and Bollywood connect with a twist of crime and cunning moves. Stay tuned as we dig deeper into this spicy saga!

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Tags: Raj kundra, Bitcoin, Money laundering, Enforcement directorate, Amit bhardwaj, Crypto scam,