Odisha honeytrap racket: Khageswar Patra gets conditional bail

Cuttack: Orissa High Court on Thursday granted conditional bail to Khageswar Patra, an accused in the sensational honeytrap racket case allegedly run by Archana Nag and her husband Jagabandhu Chand.

The high court bench consisting of Justice Gourishankar Satapathy conducted a hearing on Khageswar’s regular bail petition and had served the verdict on August 9. However, the court today pronounced its verdict and granted him conditional bail.

The top court of Odisha has reportedly directed the lower court to grant him bail after he fulfills the required conditions to get the bail.

It is to be noted here that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Khageswar Patra, a business partner of Archana and Jagabandhu, in November last year in connection with the financial transactions made in the blackmailing racket.

The ED arrested after finding his financial transactions with Archana. In course of its investigation, the central agency unearthed bank transaction links since 2017 and seized mobile, computer, hard disk, incriminating material and a vehicle from the possession of Patra.

It is to be noted here that the agency which joined the investigation has booked prime accused Archana Nag, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, and their associates Khageswar Patra and Shradhanjali Behera.

Odisha police arrested both Archana Nag and Jagabandhu Chand for allegedly amassing a huge amount of assets between 2018 and 2022 mainly through blackmailing prominent personalities and politicians by threatening them to make their videos viral.

A palatial house in Bhubaneswar, luxurious cars, bikes and a farmhouse are among the valuables worth crores which the couple owns now.