Bhubaneswar (The Hawk): The main suspect Archana Nag and her husband Jagabandhu will be placed on detention by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is looking into the money laundering aspect of the notorious honeytrap case in Odisha.
In connection with the well-known sex and extortion incident, a local court in Bhubaneswar authorised the ED to hold Archana on remand for an additional six days. From December 14, the central agency will also place Jagabandhu Chand, Archana's husband, on remand for nine days.
According to sources, the ED detained Archana on Tuesday in accordance with Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Khageswar Patra, Archana's business partner, had previously been detained by the ED in the case.
The central agency requested the remand of the two accused so that additional investigation could be conducted. In light of this, the ED requested that Archana and Jagabandhu be detained for seven and fifteen days, respectively.
Debasish Mohapatra, Archana's attorney, stated in a statement to the media, "We contested to the ED's request for additional remand of Archana on the basis of her medical condition. The court did, however, award Archana and Jagabandhu remands of six and nine days, respectively."
Following their arrest by the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police on accusations of blackmailing and extortion, Archana and Jagabandhu are currently being held in the Jharapada Special Jail.
When a lady filed a complaint against famed Odia film producer Akhaya Parija, accusing him of sexually exploiting her, the shocking sextortion case came to light. In response to this accusation, some allegedly pornographic images of Parija with a woman quickly gained popularity on social media.
Later, Parija made a similar complaint to the Nayapalli police station, claiming that two women, Archana Nag and Shradhanjali Behera, had demanded Rs 3 crore in extortion from him.
More than 20 figures from the ruling BJD and the opposition BJP, as well as well-known businesspeople, movie producers, and real estate moguls, were allegedly caught in Archana Nag's honey trap after she allegedly hired famous call girls to appease wealthy clients.
(Inputs from Agencies)
