Odisha honeytrap case: ED gets 7-day remand of prime accused Archana Nag

Bhubaneswar: A court in Bhubaneswar granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission on Monday to put Archana Nag, the suspected mastermind of the sex and extortion racket in Odisha, on custody for seven days.

While the ED sought a 15-day remand for Archana for questioning in the high-profile blackmailing case, the judge granted the premier investigating agency a week's remand.

The Districts and Sessions court ordered the ED to bring Archana before it on December 13 after her detention period expired.

Earlier this morning, Archana appeared in court in Odisha's capital amid tight security. The ED wishes to question Archana about the proceeds of the crime.

The central investigation agency filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, and accomplices Shradhanjali Behera and Khageswar Patra, has so far questioned nine people in connection with the honeytrap case.

The ED has also tracked Rs 2.5 crore deposited in Archana and Jagabandhu's accounts between 2017 and 2022.

The couple allegedly amassed more than Rs 30 crore by blackmailing high-profile individuals such as legislators, business owners, and filmmakers with sexually graphic movies.