After a contractual conflict in 2019 with Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra and his company, actress Poonam Pandey claims she was threatened and her personal phone number was exposed in retaliation.
Pandey had earlier filed a case against Kundra and his associates at Armsprime Media, the company that was handling her app. She had complained that they were illegally using her videos even after their contract had ended. Pandey had also made a statement that following the disagreement, her number and some images were leaked. This resulted in her getting calls that were derogatory in nature.
In a video message to IANS, Pandey said: "When I said no to signing the contract, he leaked my phone number with a caption, 'Call me now. I will strip for you'. He released this message along with my personal number and broadcast it. I still remember that after that my phone rang non-stop. I got calls from the whole world, including threatening messages." Pandey also said that she had to go into hiding.
"I was not home. I was living like a fugitive. I was scared that something would happen to me because of the kind of messages I used to get, such as 'I know where you are'. It was scary," Pandey said.
Opening up about the contract, the actress-model said: "The threat was that I had to sign his new contract. Whatever or whenever they said, I'd have to shoot that way or else they would leak my private information. When I said no, my number was leaked on the internet."
Pandey also urged all women to come out and speak up. "I am giving this statement even after my lawyers said no, because if Raj Kundra can do this to me -- and I am a known personality -- then what is he doing to others? It is impossible to judge where to put a full stop to this," she said.
"I would request all the girls to please come out, and if something of this sort has happened to you then raise your voice," she concluded.
Meanwhile, Kundra has been sent to police custody till July 23 after being arrested by Mumbai Police on charges of creating and publishing pornographic content.
