BHUBANESWAR: Archana Nag, at the centre of a sex and extortion scandal, allegedly used the Covid pandemic-induced lockdown well. She reportedly minted lakhs of rupees from a Nayagarh native when everything was shut down. She used the same modus operandi - forced a woman into getting intimate with the person and captured the moments to extort. The woman who was used to extort a filmmaker was forced into the job back then too. And the 25-year-old employed WhatsApp video chat to good effect, police sources said.
In her complaint, the woman mentioned that she came in contact with Archana and her husband Jagabandhu Chand when the duo was staying at a rented house in Jagamara area of the city. The complainant alleged that Archana, Jagabandhu and one of her cousin invited her for a party on the terrace of their building in 2019. They reportedly spiked her drinks and clicked her obscene photographs.
Archana allegedly threatened the victim with dire consequences if she refused to be part of her malicious plans to blackmail and extort people. During lockdown in April 2020, the accused asked the woman to videochat with a Nayagarh native on WhatsApp. After capturing the woman and the man’s intimate moments, Archana demanded extortion from the person.
The woman who was coerced to execute Archana’s plans said that she minted lakhs from the man for not making his video viral. “We are trying to establish the identity of the man from whom Archana had extorted money two years back,” said DCP, Prateek Singh.
In April this year, Archana asked the woman to speak with a filmmaker over voice and video calls. The accused asked the woman to call the filmmaker at her rented accommodation in Jagamara where she captured their intimate moments. However, the filmmaker refused to pay a penny.
The police suspect that Archana may have extorted money from other persons too by blackmailing them. “Archana married Jagabandhu in 2015. So far, police have established a second-hand car showroom business with Khageswar Patra, a resident of Rasulgarh area,” said sources.
The couple stayed on rent in various places before moving to their palatial house in Satya Vihar last year. Police suspect she may have extorted money from other persons too as the couple’s lifestyle turned extravagant in the last few years. Meanwhile, the DCP said that they have received the financial statements of Archana from a couple of banks and examining the same.