Archana Nag sextortion case: CBI issues non-bailable warrant against aide Sraddhanjali

Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court today issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against aide Sraddhanjali Behera in connection with the much-debated Archana Nag sextortion case.

Previously, an anticipatory bail petition filed by Sraddhanjali was outrightly rejected by the court. The NBW was issued as the accused did not appear before the court despite repeated summons. She was taking the plea of her ill health to escape personal appearance in court.

The court had rejected an interim protection plea of Sraddhanjali, who was one of the accused named in the chargesheet as an associate of lady blackmailer Archana Nag. The court had asked Sraddhanjali to cooperate with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the investigation as the agency had stated her non-cooperation in the ongoing probe into the money laundering allegation framed against Archana.

On the other hand, a single judge bench of Orissa High Court in Cuttack comprising Justice Gourishankar Satapathy today postponed the hearing on Archana Nag’s bail petition to another date. The matter will be taken up after summer vacation as the court is to remain shut from May 22 to June 20.

Sraddhanjali had appeared before the ED at its Bhubaneswar office twice for questioning. Between 2017 and 2022, it was found that Archana had deposited a significant amount of money in Sraddhanjali’s bank account. The ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, and his business partner Khageswar Patra, including Sraddhanjali.