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The rise of Raj Kundra from son of a bus conductor to business tycoon

Kundra started his business career as a pashmina shawl seller
Last Updated 24 July 2021, 06:15 IST

A court in Mumbai on Friday extended the police custody of businessman Raj Kundra till July 27 in a case related to the alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.

Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, was arrested on the night of July 19 by the city police's crime branch after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

Here's a look at Kundra's life and his rise as a business tycoon.

Raj Kundra was born in London. His father Bal Krishan Kundra was a bus conductor in London before he started a small business, and his mother Usha Rani Kundra worked as a shop assistant.

Kundra started his business career as a pashmina shawl seller to fashion retailers in Britain, and it was in that trade that he made his first millions. In 2007, he moved to Dubai and set up Essential General Trading LLC, a company dealing in precious metals, construction, mining, and renewable energy projects. At the same time, he began financing and producing Bollywood films.

He was ranked the 198th richest British Asian by Success, a business magazine, in 2004.

Kundra has been married twice so far. His first wife was Kavita Kundra and they had a daughter. They got divorced and he married Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on November 22, 2009. They have two children, a son, and a daughter.

Raj Kundra is associated with Essential Sports and Media, and also with Satyug Gold, Super Fight League, and Bastian Hospitality, a restaurant chain in Mumbai

In 2009, Kundra and his wife invested in the Indian Premier League cricket team Rajasthan Royals. In July 2015, a panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India imposed a life ban on him from cricket-related activity over a case of spot-fixing.

He has also written a book titled 'How Not to Make Money' that was published on October 14, 2013.

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(Published 24 July 2021, 04:41 IST)

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