Businessman Raj Kundra tried his hand at fiction in 2013 — penning a thrilling story where the protagonists “set up an undetectable, foolproof scam”. The novel has gradually become an ironic thorn in his side with social media repeatedly re-discovering ‘How Not To Make Money’ in recent years. The actor-businessman currently faces a litany of allegations spanning fraud, money laundering, and pornography-related investigations.
“Turns out it wasn’t a book, it was an autobiography in advance,” an X user jibed while sharing the book listing.
“Haha too funny! You should do stand up!” came the response from Kundra.
What is the plot of the novel?
According to the Amazon listing, How Not To Make Money by Raj Kundra follows the schemes of booze smugglers Jai and Mike and their corporate lawyer friend Aziz. The 558 page novel was published in January 2013 and carries endorsement quotes from actors Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu on the cover.
“As with the best laid plans, they’d not counted on a few bumps along the way in the form of the intrepid fraud investigator who picks up on their trail and Pam, the femme fatale whose sari blouses leave less to the imagination than bikinis, who has her eye set firmly on Jai. Knowing you have to risk it big to make it big, the boys put everything on the line in this high-speed thrill ride of a novel. But will they come out laughing or are they walking into a trap?” the Amazon blurb asks.
Legal troubles for Raj Kundra
The Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against Kundra earlier this week in connection with a bitcoin ‘scam’ case. The probe agency contends that he was a beneficial owner (not just a ‘mediator’ in the transactions) and remains in posession of 285 bitcoins that are currently valued at Rs 150.47 crore. According to the ED he received the cryptocurrency from late scam mastermind Amit Bhardwaj. Kundra has been accused of failing to disclose the Bitcoin wallet details, concealing evidence, and layering proceeds of crime by conducting a below-market-rate transaction with his wife Shilpa Shetty to disguise illicit funds.