Cuttack: The Orissa high court has rejected the bail plea of a Nigerian accused of abetting a woman’s suicide through alleged blackmail, while also overstaying in India with forged travel documents.On March 24 last year, Cuttack commissionerate police had arrested 31-year-old Djedje Raymond alias Chijioke John Okoye from New Delhi in connection with the suicide of a doctor in Cuttack on March 1. On Dec 22, the accused, a resident of Abidjan in Nigeria, filed a bail petition in the high court.While hearing the bail plea on April 9, Justice Gourishankar Satapathy observed that the allegations against the accused were grave and supported by prima facie evidence, including a suicide note and digital material recovered during investigation. “The gravity of the allegations and materials on record do not justify release on bail,” Justice Satapathy noted while dismissing the bail plea.The case pertains to a 2025 FIR registered at Dargha Bazar police station in Cuttack and is currently pending before a sessions court. According to the prosecution, the accused had developed a relationship with the victim and allegedly extorted money from her via threats and blackmail. Unable to bear the harassment, the woman allegedly died by suicide, leaving behind a note implicating him.Opposing bail, additional public prosecutor R B Mishra submitted that the accused had been continuously intimidating the victim over phone. Investigators have reportedly recovered the mobile phone used for communication, with a SIM number mentioned in the suicide note, strengthening the prosecution’s claims.Justice Satapathy also took serious note of the petitioner’s immigration status. Investigation revealed that he had entered India on a tourist visa in Nov 2019 but had overstayed since April 2020. Verification by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, Hyderabad, indicated discrepancies in his documents, including use of a visa number issued to another individual and a suspected forged visa sticker, pointing to impersonation.Observing that the nature of accusations involves abetment of suicide, along with offences relating to forgery and illegal stay, Justice Satapathy held that it was not a fit case for grant of bail at this stage.
