Odisha blackmailing case: ED arrests Archana Nag under PMLA

Archana Nag has been accused of allegedly amassing wealth by blackmailing prominent people in Odisha using sexually explicit videos

Updated on: Dec 14, 2022, 09:51:05 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested Archana Nag, who has been accused of allegedly amassing wealth by blackmailing prominent people in Odisha using sexually explicit videos, under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and took her on six days of remand even as she refused to cooperate in the probe.

The ED had earlier lodged a case of money laundering against Archana, her husband and others. (File image)

The 28-year-old Nag, arrested by Odisha police in October following two FIRs including one by filmmaker Akshay Parija who alleged that he was blackmailed to pay ₹3 crore to her, has so far not disclosed any information into her alleged business of honey-trapping of influential people of Odisha even though she was taken on remand by ED last week.

Also Read:Archana Nag case: Opposition demands CM Naveen Patnaik’s resignation

Before she was taken on seven-day remand, Archana had said she was waiting for ED and claimed she will expose everyone.

Her husband Jagabandhu Chand, who is also in jail over blackmailing charges, was also taken into nine days remand by ED and is likely to be interrogated by officials along with his wife.

The ED had earlier lodged a case of money laundering against Archana, husband Jagabandhu, business associates Khageswar Patra and Shradhanjali Behera.

Last month, the ED had interrogated several people including Odia film producer Akshay Parija, filmmaker Pramod Swain, businessman Amiyakant Das, BJD MLA Sudhir Samal’s brother Gangadhar Samal, property dealer Prabhat Ranjan Pati, hotelier Siba Prasad Das and architect Ranjit Behera.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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