Couple duped of Rs 2.83 crore in land fraud in Rourkela, 3 arrested 

In a major land fraud case, a couple from Rourkela’s Basanti Colony area was allegedly cheated of a staggering Rs 2.83 crore by three individuals on the pretext of selling them land. The incident, which took place under the jurisdiction of Jhirpani Police Station, has led to the arrest of all three accused, including a husband-wife duo and their neighbour from Koel Nagar.

More About The Fraud

According to police reports, the complainant couple had been in talks since June last year to purchase a piece of land from the accused trio, who claimed ownership of a prime property outside the state. Convinced by the fraudulent assurances and seemingly genuine documents, the victims made a payment of Rs 2.83 crore over several months.

However, after receiving the money, the accused started avoiding contact and delaying the land handover, raising suspicions. When the couple realized they had been duped, they approached the Jhirpani Police and lodged a formal complaint.

Accused on the Run, Arrested Later

Upon receiving the complaint, the police launched an investigation and discovered that the accused had gone into hiding soon after taking the money. Intensive efforts led to their eventual arrest this week. All three accused were produced in court following their arrest and have been remanded to judicial custody.

Police Investigation Continues

Police officials have stated that further investigation is underway to determine whether the accused had defrauded other victims using similar methods. Authorities are also probing the authenticity of the documents used and whether any government land registration officials were involved in the fraudulent transaction.

“One Biswabhusan Nanda had lodged a case in June alleging that three persons took over Rs 2 crore to provide land in Kerala. A case was subsequently registered and the accused, including Kumar Khan, was produced before the court on Friday, and two other accused were produced before the court today. The accused had promised the complainant to provide him with a land and subsequently duped him,” said Rourkela DSP, Yogesh Pandey