Archana Nag case: Akshay Parija fails to appear before ED
Archana Nag case: Akshay Parija fails to appear before ED
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Bhubaneswar: In connection with Archana Nag's honeytrap racket case, Odia filmmaker Akshay Parija failed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
According to sources, the film producer was summoned and ordered to appear before the ED's Bhubaneswar office to record his statement about the suspected money laundering accusations against Archana and three others.
However, Parija did not appear before the main central investigating agency citing health reasons. His lawyer stated that the director will appear when the ED sets a new date for his appearance and will cooperate fully in the investigation.
The ED had summoned Parija based on a complaint he had made with the Bhubaneswar police against Archana Nag and her partner Shradhanjali Behera.
Archana, who is currently incarcerated, is accused of blackmailing and demanding Rs 3 crore from Akshay Parija by threatening to make his objectionable recordings and images public.
On November 2, the ED filed a complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, business partner Khageswar Patra, and associate Shradhanjali Behera (PMLA).
The ED will look into Archana's money laundering and the involvement of political leaders in the sextortion case.
According to sources, Archana, her assistants, and prominent individuals associated with the case will be served with notice soon. Following that, bank statements and monetary transactions in this regard will be verified.
It should be mentioned that Archana was arrested on October 6 on charges of honey trapping various bigwigs and extorting large sums of money from them. Her husband was later jailed in this relation on October 22. Later, the ED detained Khageswar after conducting an investigation into the episode's financial activities.
