CUTTACK, ODISHA – The Orissa High Court has rejected the bail application of a 31-year-old Nigerian national, Djedje Raymond (also known as Chijioke John Okoye), who is accused of abetting the suicide of a woman doctor in Cuttack through sustained blackmail and extortion. Justice Gourishankar Satapathy dismissed the plea on April 9, 2026, citing the “gravity of the allegations” and prima facie evidence linking the accused to the victim’s death.
Case Background and Investigation
The victim, a doctor in her mid-30s, died by suicide on March 1, 2025, at her residence in Cuttack. Police recovered a suicide note that explicitly named Raymond and detailed a “horrific experience” of prolonged harassment, threats, and extortion.
- The Modus Operandi: Raymond allegedly posed as a Delhi-based doctor on social media to gain the victim’s trust.
- Blackmail and Extortion: After moving their interaction to WhatsApp, he reportedly obtained private photographs of the victim and used them to extort large sums of money, threatening to leak them online if she did not comply.
- Arrest: Cuttack Commissionerate Police tracked Raymond’s digital footprint and arrested him from New Delhi on March 24, 2025.
Additional Serious Charges
Beyond abetment of suicide, the court noted several high-stakes violations:
- Immigration Violations: Raymond entered India on a tourist visa in November 2019 but had been overstaying illegally since April 2020.
- Forgery and Impersonation: Verification by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Hyderabad revealed that he used a visa number belonging to another individual and a forged visa sticker.
- International Extortion Network: Investigators found evidence that Raymond allegedly targeted other professionals globally, with records of extortion payments from victims in Kenya and New Zealand. Police seized approximately 3,000 screenshots of fake social media profiles and multiple SIM cards acquired with false documents.
The case is currently pending before the District & Sessions Judge, Cuttack, with charges filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Information Technology Act, Passports Act, and the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
