A massive real estate scam was exposed on Friday when Jhirpani police arrested Md Qumar Khan (55) of Koelnagar for allegedly defrauding a businessman of Rs2.83 crore.
Police stated that Khan, along with his wife Sindhu AS (50) and their associate Pradipta Patnayak (50), conned Biswa Bhusan Nanda (36), a real estate investor from Basanti Colony, by luring him into a fake land deal.
According to the FIR filed in December 2024, Sindhu, a teacher at a reputed English medium school in Rourkela and a native of Chengannur, Kerala, had known Nanda through his sister. She convinced him that her relatives and contacts in Kerala were selling prime land worth Rs3 crore and urged him to invest quickly due to rising prices.
Tempted by the seemingly lucrative offer, Nanda paid the trio Rs2.83 crore in installments between April and May 2024. However, when no land was handed over and the accused kept delaying, Nanda realized he had been duped.
Jhirpani IIC Pradip Nayak confirmed that Khan has been arrested, while Sindhu and Patnayak are currently hospitalized after complaining of illness. “They will be arrested upon their discharge. The fraudulently taken money has not been recovered yet,” Nayak said.
Police are continuing the investigation and efforts are on to trace and recover the lost amount.
