Couple among 3 held for duping bizman of Rs 2.83cr

Rourkela: Police on Saturday arrested three persons, including a private school teacher and her husband, for allegedly duping a local businessman of Rs 2.83 crore through a fraudulent land deal.
The accused have been identified as Sindhu A S (50), a teacher at a private English-medium school, her husband Md Qumar Khan (55), and their accomplice Pradipta Kumar Patnaik (50), all residents of Koel Nagar here.
Police said, the couple approached complainant, Biswa Bhusan Nanda (36), a local real estate businessman, in early 2024 with a proposal to purchase land in Kerala at below-market rates. Nanda was introduced to Patnaik at the couple's residence, where they allegedly conspired to deceive him.
"The accused promised substantial returns on investment and demanded Rs 3 crore for the land deal," said Pradeep Kumar Naik, inspector in-charge, Jhirpani police station.
Investigation revealed that Nanda transferred Rs 2.51 crore to the couple's account in multiple transactions. Additionally, he paid Rs 32 lakh to Patnaik's account. When Nanda sought details about the property after paying Rs 2.83 crore, the accused became evasive and eventually stopped responding to his calls.
The fraud came to light when Nanda filed a complaint at Jhirpani police station on Dec 6 last year. Police investigation found that Sindhu, originally from Kerala, had orchestrated the scam with her husband and Patnaik.
"We have arrested all three accused, and further investigation is underway," the IIC added.