Mumbai: A former employee of a social influencer tech startup has been arrested, along with a videographer, for allegedly shooting an obscene video in an Andheri hotel and uploading it online in 2019. The names of Meeta Jhunjhunwala (46) and Raju Dubey (34) came up in actor-model Sherlyn Chopra’s statement to Maharashtra Cyber in March. Jhunjhunwala was a creative director, while Dubey was the videographer of the video, ‘Chocolate’, featuring Chopra.

UK businessman Raj Kundra, who is married to actor Shilpa Shetty, was called to the Maharashtra Cyber office after Chopra mentioned him in her statement. Kundra told TOI he had submitted all documentation regarding his investment in the startup as well as his exit to Maharashtra Cyber.

In November 2020, Maharashtra Cyber had registered an FIR against 14 OTT platforms and web portals for obscene content based on a complaint by a retired customs official. Summons were sent to the heads of these platforms and portals, besides some actors in the videos. Chopra recorded her statement between March 15 and 18 after the Bombay high court granted her interim bail. “On several occasions, I got into heated arguments with Meeta regarding concepts for content creation and execution...Sometimes it was very difficult to keep aside my creative differences with her,” Chopra said in her statement.

On December 23, 2019, Jhunjhunwala organised a shoot at the hotel, according to Chopra’s statement. “Dubey was hired through my reference. I was asked to enter the hotel discreetly...The ‘Chocolate’ concept was filmed by Dubey under Meeta’s guidance...She suggested that I let go of my inhibitions and open up like Hollywood models,” Chopra said. She added that after the shoot, Jhunjhunwala used her laptop to transfer the data from a memory card into the hard drive, then formatted the memory card and gave it to the cameraman. A few more concepts were shot later. The hotel management stopped the shoot as permissions were not taken.

Dubey was arrested on March 31 and Jhunjhunwala on April 1. The founder of the tech startup told TOI that Jhunjhunwala had quit in October 2019, and he was not aware of ‘Chocolate’ being shot for his firm.