Odisha Honeytrap Case: BJD MLA’s Brother Appears Before ED

Bhubaneswar: Gangadhar Samal, businessman and brother of Dhenkanal MLA Sudhir Samal, appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Thursday for interrogation in connection with the honeytrap case, involving Archana Naga and several influential people of Odisha.

He is likely to be questioned about financial transactions amounting to Rs 30 lakh made between him and Archana through the former’s car showroom, sources said.

Samal’s appearance raises doubt over the alleged involvement of many politicians, mostly from the ruling BJD, in the racket.

Earlier, businessman Amiyakant Das was questioned by the ED about the alleged Rs 10 lakh deposited by him in Archana’s account which he claimed was a charity for the treatment of the latter’s husband.

Also Read: Odisha Honeytrap Racket: Huge Deposits Made In Accounts Of Archana Nag’s Aide Shardhanjali

On Wednesday, Archana’s former associate Shradhanjali Behera was grilled for about 12 hours and the agency is said to have traced huge deposits in the account. Filmmaker Akshay Parija also appeared before ED for the second consecutive day in connection with the case. He had lodged a complaint against Archana, alleging that she had demanded Rs 3 crore from him by threatening to release pictures and videos of his intimate moments. Archana had reportedly used Shradhanjali to trap Parija.

The ED is probing the proceeds of the crime and has registered a money laundering case against Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand and their two associates.

Archana and his husband allegedly amassed over Rs 30 crore between 2018 and 2022 by blackmailing and threatening some politicians, businessmen and filmmakers. The agency has traced Rs 2.5 crore of those deposits.