Odisha: Archana Nag Alleges Threat To Life, Conspiracy To Implicate Her In False Case

Bhubaneswar: Archana Nag, the prime accused in the high-profile honeytrap case in Odisha, on Friday alleged that two persons threatened to kill her when she reached a law college here to appear for exam, for which she had prepared inside the prison.

She further said that the duo also threatened to implicate her in a false case.

“I wanted to lead a peaceful life after being released from jail but some people are trying to intimidate me. I am not a person who can be intimidated. Truth is my strength and my weapon. I have faith in court,” she told reporters.

She added that people should refrain from plotting against her. “I will bring them to the fore. The case is sub-judice and there are restrictions on me. But I am neither hiding nor leaving the state. I will fight till the end. I have sufficient evidence and will deposit them before the court at the right time,” she said.

Archana walked out of Jharpara prison here on December 12 after remaining behind the bars for around 14 months.  This came 10 days after Orissa High Court granted her bail in a case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate. Three cases were registered against her. The HC had earlier granted her bail on August 3 and April 11 in alleged sextortion cases registered at Khandagiri and Nayapalli police stations, respectively.

The 27-year-old was arrested in October last year along with her husband Jagabandhu Chand after her former associate Shraddhanjali Behera accused the couple of taking her obscene photos and using it to force her into honey-trapping politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats. She was booked under Section 370 (human trafficking) of IPC, among other offences.

An FIR was also filed at Nayapalli police station by film producer Akshay Parija, accusing her of demanding Rs 3 crore by threatening to leak his photographs and video of his intimate moments with a co-accused.

Later, the ED arrested her under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency has been investigating financial transactions in the honeytrap racket. Archana and her husband allegedly accumulated assets worth over Rs 30 crore in just four years by extorting money from influential persons through blackmail and honeytrap. The agency traced Rs 2.5 crore deposited in their accounts between 2017 and 2022. She was also found to be in possession of several branded cars including Audi, Ford Endeavour, expensive two-wheelers, a farmhouse and a horse.