Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its reply in the money laundering case against Archana Nag, the alleged mastermind in the honeytrap and blackmailing racket.
The High Court issued the direction during the preliminary hearing of regular bail petition of Archana by a division bench of Justice V Narsingh. The bench has told the ED to file its reply before the next hearing of the bail plea.
The court has issued order for hearing of the bail petition of Archana’s husband Jagabandhu Chand along with Archana case on June 26. The court had granted conditional bail to Archana on April 11.
Despite being granted bail, Archana remained behind the bars as two other cases are pending against her. One of the cases is related to money laundering slapped by the ED and another involves her former associate Shradhanjali Behera.
On March 15, the HC had granted conditional bail to Archana’s husband Jagabandhu Chand. He was granted the bail in the same case.
Archana had moved the HC for regular bail in connection with the sextortion case filed by Ollywood filmmaker Akshay Parija at the Nayapalli police station on October 29, 2022, after rejection of her bail plea by the lower court last year.
Archana was arrested on October 6 last year as the alleged honey-trap network surfaced after Shradhanjali lodged a complaint with Khandagiri police station on October 2. She accused Archana, Jagabandhu and their associate Khageswar Patra of trapping her in their racket, forcing her into prostitution and to blackmail bigwigs.
Archana is accused of extorting money from influential people by blackmailing them with objectionable videos and is currently lodged in jail.
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