This stock involving Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra tanks 20% today; it has Bitcoin connection too

Viaan Industries share price tanked 20 per cent on Tuesday, hitting its lower circuit, after actress Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra was questioned by Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case that involves bitcoins.

Viaan Industries stock hit a lower circuit of 20 per cent to Rs 18.40 on the BSE. The company has only two promoters, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra, who hold 25.48 per cent and 25.43 per cent stakes respectively in the company. 

The ED on Tuesday questioned Raj Kundra in connection with a money laundering probe related to a bitcoin transactions case, officials told PTI.

All about Bitcoin scam: 

The ED is looking through a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against bitcoin-based investment website GainBitcoin, its founder Amit Bhardwaj and eight others. It is alleged Raj Kundra is a promoter of one of the mining companies of Bhardwaj. 

About 8,000 investors are believed to have lost about Rs 2,000 crore funds by transacting in this Bitcoin scheme in exchange of 10 per cent returns on their Bitcoins.

The ED had filed its case based on an FIR of the Maharashtra Police and the Pune Police arrested Bhardwaj and his brother Vivek from Delhi earlier.

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Bhardwaj reportedly was behind ventures like GainBitcoin, GBMiners, MCAP and GB21, and the investors were allegedly duped after transactions on these portals.

The central agency has expanded its probe into this case and is also investigating related bitcoin or cryptocurrency transactions that are under the scanner of other departments.

It is alleged that Bhardwaj and his associates allegedly duped investors to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore in Mumbai, Pune, Nanded, Kolhapur and other places in the state.