On November 10, 2022, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) searched seven locations (including residential properties and offices) in the case involving Archana Nag, Jagabandhu Chand, Khageswar Patra, Shradhanjali Behera, and others in Odisha. This was done as part of ED’s ongoing money laundering investigation into a high-profile sextortion ring that Archana Nag and her associates ran by preying on powerful and wealthy individuals.
Several damning papers, and digital evidence, including mobile phones and one SUV, were found throughout the course of the search. In this regard, the ED previously recorded an ECIR based on two FIRs against Archana Nag, Jagabandhu Chand, Khageswar, and Shradhanjali Behera that were filed on September 29, 2022, and October 2, 2022, respectively, under various sections of the IPC, 1860, and Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000, respectively, at Nayapalli P.S., UPD, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Both Archana Nag and Jagabandhu Chand were detained by the Odisha Police on October 6, 2022, and are currently in judicial prison.
Further, the ED has detained Khageswar Patra, a prominent and close associate of Archana Nag, who was involved in extortion by honey-trapping high-profile and wealthy individuals, secretly making inappropriate videos, and threatening and blackmailing them into filing false police reports against them and spreading their inappropriate videos on social media.
By judgement dated November 11, 2022, the Hon. Court of Special Judge (PMLA), Khurda, Bhubaneswar remanded the arrested person (Khageswar Patra) to ED custody for ten days till November 21, 2022. Further research is now being conducted.
