New Delhi:
A couple in Noida, foreign funding, adult entertainment – a major online pornography racket was busted, uncovering an illegal network that stretched beyond international borders. The racket, allegedly run by Ujjwal Kishore and his wife Neelu Srivastava, has been in operation for five years and involves massive foreign funding.
According to sources, the couple was associated with a Cyprus-based company named Technius Limited, known for operating popular adult entertainment websites such as Xhamster and Stripchat. The couple transferred funds to foreign companies by misrepresenting the purpose codes in bank transactions, falsely showing them as payments for advertising and market research.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the couple’s Noida home and claimed to have found illegal foreign funding amounting to Rs 15.66 crore. Further probing revealed that the main accused, Ujjwal Kishore, was previously involved in a similar racket in Russia before relocating to India and starting this operation with his wife.
The couple exploited social media platforms, primarily Facebook, to recruit models. They created a page named ‘echato dot com’ offering modeling opportunities with promises of lucrative salaries. Many women from the Delhi-NCR region were lured through these advertisements. Upon reaching the couple’s flat in Noida for auditions, they were offered participation in the pornography racket. The promised remuneration ranged from Rs 1 to 2 lakh per month.
During the raid, the ED discovered a professional webcam studio set up in the couple’s flat to broadcast content found on adult streaming platforms like OnlyFans. It was equipped with high-tech broadcasting facilities used to stream adult content online. Three women were found working on the premises during the raid and were connected online at the time. The ED has recorded their statements.
According to sources, the models performed tasks based on the payments made by customers. Different categories were offered, including half-face shows, full-face shows, and full nudity. Customers purchased tokens to access these services, with varying charges depending on the category. The revenue split was heavily skewed in favour of the couple, with 75 per cent of the earnings retained by them and only 25 per cent shared with the models.
The couple initially received payments from customers through cryptocurrencies. The ED has also discovered a bank account in the Netherlands where Rs 7 crore had been transferred by Technius Limited. These funds were subsequently withdrawn in cash in India using international debit cards.
According to the probe agency, thousands of women may have been recruited through this racket.
