Archana Nag, the main accused in the high-profile honey -trap and extortion racket, and her husband Jagabandhu Chand appeared in a court here on Monday in connection with a money laundering case.
While coming out of court, Archana asked why Shradhanjali Behera has not been arrested till now. She further said some ‘powerful’ forces might be giving protection to Shradhanjali.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating into the financial aspects of the honey-trap and extortion case and has so far detected nearly Rs 2.5 crore deposited in cash in the couple’s bank accounts between 2017 and 2022.
Archana has been arrested by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). She is accused of amassing over Rs 30 crore along with her husband between 2018 and 2022 by blackmailing rich and influential persons using sexually explicit videos.
In January 2023, the Central agency had attached a swanky house with imported interior decorations worth around Rs 3.64 crore belonging to Archana while two luxury vehicles worth over Rs 56 lakh were seized under the PMLA.
The ED had also recorded an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) for taking up an investigation under the provisions of the PMLA against Archana, her husband Jagabandhu, Shradhanjali and Shradhanjali’s associate Khageswar Patra on the basis of two separate FIRs registered by the Commissionerate police.